《Checklist J, K, L》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Grif propped an elbow on the bar as he studied the piece of paper. Nothing had changed since thest time he¡¯d read the cryptic note. He passed the card to his partner perched on the bar stool beside him. She frowned at it, idly toying with her signature braid as she read the note for what had to be the tenth time. Grif tipped his ss of scotch so the liquid within caught the light, and shoved his other hand into the pocket of the jeans that were his only attire. Davina made a frustrated sound and dropped the paper. ¡°I think it means exactly what it says.¡± ¡°We¡¯d make terrible detectives.¡± Grif motioned for the bartender¡ªa rope-dress wearing submissive¡ªto bring him some water. If they were going to y, he¡¯d limit himself to one drink. ¡°I don¡¯t know. We have that whole frustrated drinking, leaning on a bar thing going.¡± Davina smiled and gestured at their position at the bar. ¡°Now you say something like ¡®The brass is going to have our badges but we¡¯ll get ¡¯em.¡¯¡± ¡°I know something I¡¯d like to have.¡± Grif wiggled his browsically. Davina snickered and then leaned back. She was confident and gorgeous¡ªdark hair she always pulled back in a French braid, a ssic California golden tan. She wore dark eye makeup, but her lips were bare, almost pale in contrast to her skin. He knew how to make them pink. She held the edge of the bar so she wouldn¡¯t tumble backwards off the stool as she tipped back. The position showed off her magnificent rack. Grif examined those sweet breasts, which were visible through the ck mesh tank top she wore along with a short, tight skirt that only barely covered her ass. The steel bars through her nipples drew attention to her tits. He knew what her breasts tasted like, knew the piercings would be warm from her body heat when he took her nipples into his mouth. He also knew what her pussy tasted like. Knew how her ass felt in his hands, how she tensed before an orgasm, or rxed into a good flogging. Davina wiggled her shoulders a little, which made her breasts jiggle side to side. Given the slight hitch in her breathing, it undoubtedly stimted her nipples when they rubbed against her mesh shirt. Grif grabbed her braid and tugged her towards him. She leaned in greedily, and they kissed with a deep, easy passion. She tasted familiar, and yet a little mysterious. She was his lover. His partner. And also, in many ways, a stranger. That¡¯s how they liked it. That¡¯s how they¡¯d arranged their BDSM partnership. He broke the kiss, nipping her bottom lip before he leaned back. She stayed where she was¡ªtilted forward, mouth slightly open, lower lip glossy and now pink from the kiss. It was unbelievably tempting. There wasn¡¯t a man alive who wouldn¡¯t look at her and want to taste that sweet mouth, or even better, see it wrapped around his cock. ¡°Minx,¡± he murmured. Her lips curled into a smile and she sat back, taking a small sip of the bourbon and soda she¡¯d ordered. They¡¯d been at the bar for several hours at this point, puzzling over their ¡°challenge¡± in this strange new game the club overseers had invented. It was only now, nearly three hours after the announcement had been made, that the bar was filling up. ¡°I think it¡¯s time for me to go to the Den and check to see if they have anything in stock that would work for this.¡± He tapped their note. ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡± Grif shook his head. ¡°No, I think while we do this checklist game you should sub.¡± Davina¡¯s eyebrows climbed her forehead. ¡°Exclusively?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She looked at him, her pale gray eyes piercing. ¡°Okay¡­I guess that makes sense.¡± ¡°I mean it,¡± he warned. ¡°You think I can¡¯t sub?¡± ¡°I know you can sub. I¡¯m just not sure you can manage it for a whole weekend.¡± She pursed her lips and then shrugged. ¡°I can.¡± ¡°I know that¡¯s not normally how we y, but¡ª¡± ¡°Grif, I¡¯m fine. It makes sense, and I can do it, as long as you can top for a whole weekend.¡± ¡°You think I can¡¯t?¡± He didn¡¯t take offense¡ªtheirs was a partnership based more on kink and physicality than on a power exchange. Officially they were both switches, though most of their y leaned towards him being the one holding the flogger. ¡°I think it¡¯s been a long time since you had to n scenes by yourself.¡± Davina took a sip, then slurped noisily on therge ice cube she¡¯d taken from the ss. That slurping noise was familiar too. Grif ignored the way his cock twitched. ¡°Minx.¡± She grinned, showing off the ice cube she was holding between her teeth. He leaned in, sealed his mouth over hers, and took the ice cube from her. The kiss was cold, the ice almost burning when it pressed against the inside of his cheek. He leaned back, then crunched the ice cube between his teeth. Davina propped her elbow on the bar. ¡°This might be fun.¡± ¡°It¡¯s always fun,¡± he countered. ¡°True.¡± ¡°All right, time to y the game and push ourselves.¡± He picked up the folder they¡¯d been given when the Las Palmas Oscuras club overseers announced the checklist game earlier. The club was the Los Angeles area¡¯s most exclusive BDSM club. Memberships were hard toe by, ridiculously expensive, and included strict secrecy agreements. Getting in meant you were wealthy, probably connected, and an experienced enough BDSM yer to make it worth the price tag. ording to the overseers¡ªthree Doms who owned and ran the clubtely, members had been treating it more as a weekend getaway than as a venue for exploring their own sexuality. In order to address the issue, the overseers invented this checklist game everyone was now ying. Everyone who wasn¡¯t bonded¡ªthe club¡¯s term for a recognized, permanent pairing¡ªwas assigned both a partner or partners and a letter. With that partner, they had toplete every item on the club¡¯s BDSM checklist that began with their letter. Grif and Davina had been bonded for nearly two years, and partners for nearly three. They¡¯d met and be friends when Davina had been going through a more dominant phase. When she¡¯d decided to change it up and try submitting more, she¡¯d asked him to top her as a way to help her transition, and for her to redefine herself as a submissive for other club members. Davina and Grif had been friends who¡¯d had some good sexy banter, and that had morphed easily and naturally into being y partners. Despite her n to make herself avable as a sub, they¡¯d ended up working together nearly every time they were both at the club. Two years ago they¡¯d decided to be formally bonded as a way to officially recognize how important the rtionship was to each of them. Though they¡¯d started their kink rtionship as an outlet for her submissive side, it was more of a coborative partnership. They nned out scenes together, taking on whatever roles worked best for that particr scene. He¡¯d subbed for her more than once, and enjoyed it, though he was always happy to take back the lead. Their rtionship was both very narrow in scope, but also veryfortable thanks to familiarity. ¡°Do you think we need it?¡± Davina¡¯s quiet question made him pause in the act of pushing back from the bar. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Do we need the game? Have we gottenzy?¡± There was a line between her eyebrows. Grif grabbed her braid and tugged it gently. ¡°You¡¯re joking right? Us,zy?¡± Davina half-smiled. ¡°Okay, fair point. Last weekend you had me hanging upside down from a particrly lovely rope harness.¡± ¡°Which you managed to flip around in enough to bite me.¡± Grif pointed at his bare shoulder, where there was a nice oval bruise. ¡°I do like biting you,¡± she mused. Grif grinned. ¡°So no, I don¡¯t think we need the game. That¡¯s probably why we have this letter.¡± He tapped the folder with therge letter ¡°J¡± on it. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Inside the folder were copies of each of their checklists. He¡¯d eagerly flipped through the pages until he got to ¡°J¡± only to find¡­ Nothing. There wasn¡¯t a single item on the checklist that started with the letter J. He¡¯d thought there would at least be ¡°Japanese Rope Bondage¡±¡ªwhich he enjoyed and was good at¡ª but that was listed under ¡°S¡± as shibari. However, the folder had contained something else. A note from the overseers. The note they¡¯d been studying for the past few hours. * * * There¡¯s nothing on the checklist for you, but we do have a challenge. Jewelry. ~Master Leo, Master Mikel, and Mistress Faith * * * There were plenty of tools that could be considered jewelry, and which were associated with kink, from a cor to nipple piercings. He¡¯d checked, and most of those items were listed individually on the checklist. What wasn¡¯t clear was how ¡°jewelry¡± was supposed to be a challenge. The best guess they¡¯de up with was that maybe they were supposed to involve some more traditional, delicate jewelry¡ªactual nes and bracelets¡ªand therefore more delicate y. They were a very physical couple. They leaned more towards the ¡°B¡± of BDSM¡ªbondage. Their scenes usually involved rope bondage, or bondage furniture like the stocks or a spanking bench. Davina would struggle against her bonds, and he would overpower her and ¡°force¡± her into bondage. And even after she was bound or restrained, she¡¯d test the bondage. She¡¯d fight him enough to make it clear that she could be the top if she wanted¡ªas evidenced by the bite. That¡¯s how they liked it. If a scene didn¡¯t end with both of them sweaty and panting, what was the point? They¡¯d done demonstrations for other club members on how to safely manhandle someone onto a St. Andrew¡¯s cross, and how to know when in the process of tying a rope harness it was safe for the sub to start wiggling and ¡°fighting.¡± And now the overseers had challenged them to wear jewelry. Instead of the steel o-ring cor she wore asionally, Davina would wear something that looked more like a ne. Pointless, in Grif¡¯s opinion, but that was the evil genius of the overseers. For Grif, jewelry was a challenge¡ªto try it and see if he coulde to understand and appreciate something less obviously kinky than ropes and literal power struggles. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you going to go find me some jewelry?¡± Davina asked. ¡°I like diamonds.¡± She did a breathy Marilyn voice for thatst part. Grif snorted. He doubted Davina had ever worn diamonds in her life. Or maybe she wore nothing but diamonds outside of Las Palmas. Grif tucked the note back into the envelope and tapped the whole thing to his forehead in salute. She raised her ss and smiled at him before he turned away from the bar. He exited the library¡ªwhich was a library in name only with itsrge bar, small stage, and various seating areas¡ªand headed for the Doms¡¯ Lounge. He tried to picture Davina in diamonds, but that thought came a little too close to thinking about who she was outside of here. That kind of thing broke their number one rule. They didn¡¯t discuss who they were when they weren¡¯t at Las Palmas. He didn¡¯t know herst name, and she didn¡¯t know his. As far as he knew, she might be married with ten kids. Don¡¯t think about it. He pushed open the door to the Doms¡¯ Lounge harder than necessary and it banged against the brass doorstop bolted into the floor. Like all the rooms in the sprawling Spanish estate that housed Las Palmas, the Doms¡¯ Lounge, which most people called the Den, was elegant, with all the finest furnishings. Here there were more bookshelves, mirroring those in the library, but like in that room, the shelves weren¡¯t home to books, but to a diverse and wonderful stock of implements, toys, and tools. This room was for Dominants, Masters, and Owners only. There was an equivalent space for submissives called the Subs¡¯ Garden. Grif slid the envelope into hisrge locker. The one beside his was Davina¡¯s. Because she¡¯d been a Dom, and sometimes still topped, they hadn¡¯t reassigned her Dom locker, but instead given her a second locker in the Subs¡¯ Garden. Since he subbed only on the rare asions, and only since they¡¯d been bound, he just had the one. Though he understood the reasoning behind separate, private locker rooms, he was d that he and Davina could get ready together. They usually met in the Den at the start of a weekend together, making small talk as they changed. They also finished their weekends together, a chance to spend a bit more time together before going their separate ways. The Den also housed a collection of toys that Doms, Owners, and Masters could take for their scenes. Normally, once they nned a scene, she woulde with him to help gather what they¡¯d need. But this time she wasn¡¯t with him. Jewelry. A challenge, and one he felt sure would require her to be more traditionally submissive than normal. As the top, it was his job to help her get into the right frame of mind, hence not letting here with him into the Doms¡¯ Lounge, though it would have been nice to have her here with him to help sort through their jewelry options. However, if she wasn¡¯ting into the Den, she¡¯d need her stuff. He opened her locker and spotted her overnight bag. He reached for it then paused. That bag was something she brought into the club, something that came with her from the world beyond Las Palmas. If he took that bag and opened it, he might learn something about her he shouldn¡¯t. He closed the door and made a mental note to ask someone to transfer it to her locker in the Subs¡¯ Garden. Turning back to the toy options, he started hunting for jewelry. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Davina rocked up on her toes and then back on her heels. She didn¡¯t like standing still¡ªdidn¡¯t like being still¡ªso she¡¯d developed a habit of doing small, simple exercises like calf lifts whenever she was forced to wait. Outside of Las Palmas, no one made her wait. If she¡¯d thought Grif was doing it on purpose, she¡¯d be beyond annoyed, but she knew him, and this wasn¡¯t some stupid waiting game. This was him trying to find the toys¡ªwell, jewelry¡ªthey¡¯d need for this challenge. Usually they nned scenes together, taking inspiration from others at the club or images they¡¯de across. Theirs was the perfect BDSM rtionship, built on a foundation of friendship. She liked that she¡¯d met him when she¡¯d been more into topping than subbing, because it meant he saw her as an equal. If she¡¯d said that aloud, she was sure Grif, and most of the other male Doms, Masters, and Owners at the club would say they viewed, and treated, their subs as equal. But the rtionship she and Grif had ¡ªmore coborative, physical, and intense than so many others, reinforced her secretly held belief that meeting on equal footing had been the foundation for what they now had. Restless, she switched from calf lifts to pacing. She was in the barn, which was properly called the ¡°Conve¡± for reasons that were unclear to her. It was obviously a barn¡ªeven now that there weren¡¯t animals housed here, there were horse stalls along one of the long walls. These stalls were for D/s y and had cots, plenty of tie points, and clean, smooth floors. The roof of the stalls was the floor of the loft, which had a lounge-like viewing area where she and Grif had listened to the announcement about the game. The barn also had a tack room with a wonderful array of crops, whips, and various tie-off equipment. There was even some pony y gear, though she¡¯d never seen anyone use it. She smirked as she realized that would change because of the game. Whoever had the letter ¡°P¡± was certainly in for an interesting weekend. She and Grif preferred the barn for their y, because there was plenty of floor space on the side opposite the stalls, and because there were custom-built wood and metal grids, almost like the rigging used in theater lighting, that could be lowered at the push of a button, making it easy to tie a bound or harnessed submissive securely to the framework. Another touch of a button and the frame would be lifted, the motor powerful enough to raise and suspend a restrained sub. In preparation for their y, Davina had spread out severalrge floor mats and double checked that the controls for their preferred five-by-five metalttice suspension rig were working. When she got tired of pacing, she dropped onto the mats and started working through Ashtanga yoga poses, holding each for five quick breaths and then transitioning to the next. She was doing a headstand when Grif walked in. She smiled from her upside down position. Her tank top was tight enough that while the hem slid, it hadn¡¯t fallen down around her neck, but caught on her breasts, leaving her midsection bare from the top of her hip-hugging skirt to chest. He paused for a moment¡ªa ttering hitch in his step¡ªbefore he kepting, his gaze intent on her. ¡°I could watch that all day.¡± Davina bent at the hips, bringing both legs forward until they were parallel with the floor and then rolled gracefully out of the pose. She primly pulled down the hem of her tank top, which made Grif smile. Damn, he was handsome. And funny, kind, sexy, and unapologetically rough in all the right ways. His hair was just stylish enough to make her asionally wonder who he was in the outside world. Medium brown, short on the sides with a tight fade up to the longer top, which he brushed straight back from his forehead. His eyebrows were a shade or two lighter than his hair, but he had long, darkshes that framed his brown eyes. He had hundreds of light brown freckles on the tops of his muscled shoulders¡ªan unexpectedly boyish touch on a man who was otherwise intensely masculine. Whatever he did, he kept in shape. And spent just enough time shirtless in the sun¡ªnot hard to do in Southern California¡ªto freckle, but not tan. And that was more wondering about him than she should have been doing. ¡°Did you find anything?¡± she asked. He was empty-handed. Grif patted his pockets. ¡°I did. Lots of stuff.¡± ¡°Lots¡­¡± She raised a brow. There were tiny bulges in his pockets now that he¡¯d pointed it out. ¡°It¡¯s jewelry. It¡¯s not supposed to be big.¡± ¡°That depends on what kind of jewelry.¡± He gave her an odd look, head tipped to the side, then rxed into a smile. ¡°Well, first we need some chairs.¡± ¡°Chairs?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± He looked around. ¡°I¡¯ll go find them if you put away the mats.¡± ¡°No mats?¡± Now it was her turn to frown. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. ¡°No mats,¡± he confirmed. ¡°If you thrash around, you¡¯re going to break this stuff.¡± Grif pointed to his pocket. ¡°No thrashing, which means no mats.¡± When he walked away, Davina started folding up the mats, dragging them to the storage area. Grif returned carrying twodder-backed wooden chairs. He set them down and looked at her, mouth open as if he were about to speak, but then he stopped, browsing together, before saying ¡°Davina, are you okay?¡± ¡°Of course, why?¡± ¡°You¡¯re frowning.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She forced her face to rx. It was only when he¡¯d pointed it out that she realized she was¡­ worried. That didn¡¯t make any sense. There was nothing to be worried about. It was just Grif and some jewelry. Not a bullwhip. He peered at her for a moment longer, then took a square cushion from under his arm and put it on the seat of one of the chairs. ¡°For you,¡± he gestured gantly. Davina walked over, making sure her hips swayed as she did, and started to sit. ¡°Ah ah ah, kneel,¡± Grif said. ¡°Mmm, promising.¡± Davina knelt on the cushion. The back of the chair stopped just under the level of her breasts. It was too tall for her to bend forward to a good ny degree angle, but kneeling like this would give Grif better ess to her ass and pussy than if she¡¯d been sitting. ¡°Hands on the back of the chair.¡± He spoke with the rxed confidence he always had during a scene. The upper rung of the chair back was smooth and cool under her fingers¡ªreal wood, sanded and polished, not varnished. ¡°Time for¡ªah wait. Okay, hold on, maybe I shouldn¡¯t have shoved these all in my pocket¡ªthey got tangled.¡± Davina didn¡¯t try to hide her chuckle as she twisted to look behind herself. Grif was on one knee, a web of silver chains spread out on the seat of the second chair as he tried to pick apart the items. ¡°Want some help?¡± ¡°Face forward,¡± he grumped. ¡°Stay in your position.¡± The words might have been punishing from someone else, but Grif didn¡¯t mean them that way. They weren¡¯t a ¡°high protocol, don¡¯t move¡±, sort of couple. Couple. Wrong word. Partners. They were partners. ¡°Ahem, I didn¡¯t move my hands, or knees.¡± She straightened to face forward. ¡°True, but now I¡¯m ordering you to¡ªgot it!¡± She heard the slight hiss of his jeans against the concrete as he rose. He was barefoot, which meant his footsteps were silent, leaving her guessing as to where he was. They¡¯d done plenty of scenes with her blindfolded or otherwise unable to move her head enough to look around. At this moment she should be calm, if not precisely rxed. Why did she still feel worried? No, maybe it wasn¡¯t worried but anxious. Had she gotten so used to how they normally yed, what they normally did, that even a slight change in routine made her stomach knot? His fingertips on her bare upper arm startled her, made her jerk to the side so hard that she lost her bnce and had to put one foot on the floor. Grif¡¯s arms came around her waist at the same time she caught herself, and she knew he wouldn¡¯t have let her fall. ¡°Davina?¡± His muscled arms felt good. His right forearm was just under her breasts, and when he¡¯d grabbed her, the fabric of her tank top shifted, the mesh catching on the ends of her nipple bars and tugging gently. Ance of arousal, painfully acute, like a red-hot needle, made her breath catch, her fingers tighten on the wood. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she murmured. His lips brushed her ear. ¡°You¡¯re more than fine, minx.¡± The worry that had made her react so dramatically to an innocuous touch faded. She arched back, much like she had at the bar, arms stretched out and holding the chair, shoulders falling back. She tipped her head back, until it touched his chest. ¡°Oops, I¡¯m not facing forward anymore.¡± He released her waist and ran a finger down the front of her neck from the underside of her chin all the way down to the notch in her corbones. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one minute to get back into position.¡± ¡°Or what?¡± ¡°Are you trying to force a punishment?¡± There was real surprise in his voice. Davina cringed internally and straightened up, both knees back on the chair pad. She forced out a little laugh. ¡°Just trying to speed this up. See what jewelry you might have.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to show you, but don¡¯t forget how we¡¯re ying this. You¡¯re subbing.¡± ¡°I know how to sub,¡± she snapped. She felt rather than saw him lean in, his words brushing her ear. ¡°I want you to be yourself, not pretend to be some bratty thing.¡± He probably meant the words to beforting, but they weren¡¯t. Instead, they fed the anxiety building within her. He¡¯d been right, she had been trying to force a punishment, which was a ssic topping from the bottom ploy. She didn¡¯t need to do stupid things like that, because she and Grif talked about what they wanted and needed each time they yed. Maybe that was the source of this worry¡ªshe hadn¡¯t helped n the scene. Maybe she was worried because he¡¯d made it clear this wouldn¡¯t be as physical as their normal y, and she was so very bad at being still. Much to her secret relief, he came around to her front. She made sure her position was perfect and smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯ll be good.¡± She winked as she said it, and he smiled before snorting derisively. Then his amused expression melted away to reveal something more intense and focused. It was the expression he got when he was checking and double-checking ropes right before he pulled her into the air. She shivered with anticipation. Grif held up his hand. A delicate silver chain wasced around his fingers. ¡°Here¡¯s your first piece of jewelry.¡± * * * Hey the chain across his palm then held his hand out, so she could see the intricate details of the piece he selected to use on her. Even thinking those words sent a little thrill through her. There was something wonderful yet terrifying about not knowing even the simplest information about what would take ce in the scene. If she didn¡¯t n the scene with him, she usually knew what equipment they¡¯d be using, based on the space they¡¯d booked to use in advance. Wonderful yet terrifying. She took a moment to study his face, his familiar face, that at once was so familiar, and yet she would have sworn there was something different in the way he was looking at her now, something about the set of his shoulders. When she couldn¡¯t put a name to what she saw in his face, she looked down at his hand. A ne. The center was a delicate, t horizontal bar, less than a quarter inch tall, but two inches long. It curved ever so slightly to match the contour of the neck. Strands of silver chain with links so small and precise they looked almost like metallic thread extended from the ends, two on each side. The center of the bar had a small O ring bolted to it, about the diameter of the tip of her pinky finger. ¡°A cor,¡± she breathed. ¡°A jewelry cor,¡± he agreed. He smiled, and it was slow and full of promise and darkness. ¡°Grab your braid. Hold it out of my way.¡± Davina lifted her right hand and reached back for her hair, lifting it away from her neck. She held it on the top of her head, making sure to keep her shoulders rxed so her neck was long and ready to take the cor. He made sure the bar was centered above the notch of her corbones, then draped the chains over her shoulder. ¡°Hold this with your other hand,¡± he murmured. She ced one fingertip against the bar, keeping it in ce as he slipped around behind her. She couldn¡¯t help but explore it with her fingers. The ring in the front was functional, attached in such a way that it rotated. Cheaply made cors often were attached with a stationary mount. Grif tugged the ends of the ne. ¡°Let go.¡± Those words made her shiver, because it was clear he wanted her to let go of more than just the jewelry she was holding in ce. She grabbed the back of the chair, steadying herself, but his next action made her shiver again. Grif adjusted the cor, pulling it up and then tight against her skin. She felt his fingers moving at the back of her neck, the chain pulled almost rmingly taut as he worked the sp. Then the chains rxed a bit, and the next thing she knew he was standing in front of her. Though she¡¯d called it a cor, it looked like a ne, and she¡¯d expected it to fit like a ne, but it didn¡¯t. It fit like a choker¡ªsnug against her neck rather than draped around her neck but actually resting on her shoulders and chest. It wasn¡¯t so tight that it was choking her, but every time she swallowed she felt the restriction. Grif examined her neck, checking the fit by sliding a finger underneath. ¡°How does it feel?¡± ¡°Unfamiliar,¡± she said honestly. Though chokers came in and out of fashion, she hadn¡¯t worn one like this before¡ªmade of metal rather than stretchy fabric or stic. Grif¡¯s gaze was hot, and the front of his jeans was bulging from his erection. Her blood heated knowing that coring her made him hard. She¡¯d worn a cor for him before¡ªa heavy all-metal cor that was very physical and intense, like they were. Had putting that cor on her ever made him this hard? Surely it had, and she just hadn¡¯t noticed before. This jewelry cor was less kinky than what he¡¯d used before. It was so delicate and beautiful that if the O ring were removed, it could be worn as a piece of lovely jewelry with no kinky connotation. Or leave the O ring on, and still wear it as jewelry in the outside world¡ªa delicate statement as to who, and what, the wearer was. Without a word, Grif held up another ne. No, it was too long to be called a ne¡ªit would have fallen to her hips. It consisted of short four inch runs of the same thread-like chain as in the cor and thumbnail size silver rings. He took one end and threaded the delicate lobster sp through the O ring of the cor, which was just big enough for it to fit through, then fastened the sp to the first of the larger silver rings, creating a loop that passed through the O ring. ¡°A leash,¡± she whispered. ¡°Not quite.¡± Grif¡¯s voice was rough with arousal. He was turned on. Really, really turned on. Davina shifted her hips side to side, weight shifting from knee to knee, humming a little to herself. Seeing him that turned on, aroused her in turn. Her sex was wet. As she shifted she could feel it¡ªthat slick physical proof of her need. He let the tail of the long chain dangle down her front for a moment. She wished she were naked so she could feel it against her skin. Though the mesh tank top revealed more than it concealed, it was enough to keep her from feeling the delicate chain. She was still wearing her shirt. Davina opened her mouth to say something¡ªto remind him that it might be better to get her shirt off now rather than having to unfasten the chain from the cor, remove the shirt, and then refasten it. That was the kind of detail Grif sometimes didn¡¯t think through. More than once he¡¯d ended up cutting off clothes that he¡¯d neglected to remove before getting her into a rope harness. In the past, she wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to say something, or even to just strip off the shirt and throw it to the side¡ªdoing her part to make sure the scene went smoothly and that their pleasure wasn¡¯t interrupted by logistics. And yet she didn¡¯t say anything. This time was¡­different. The cor, the chain, they were delicate and precise. This wasn¡¯t their customary maroon nylon rope. Grif adjusted himself, visibly rxing when he got that massive, hard dick into a morefortable position inside his jeans. Maroon nylon rope had never made him so hard he had to stop and adjust his pants. Grif picked up the dangling end of the chain, his knuckles grazing her left nipple. She sucked in air as that idental touch lit up all her nerves. A sense of deja vu gripped her. This intensity, so seemingly out of proportion with the limited physical stimtion, was what it had felt like the first time she¡¯d let a boy slide his hand up under her shirt¡ª thrilling, terrifying, wonderful, and foreign all at once. Her reaction was disproportionate to the stimtion. But it wasn¡¯t just her. He was reacting very strongly, too. As evidenced by his cock. She wanted tough and say something to break the tension¡ªWow! This whole jewelry thing is actually pretty sexy, right? Nice cock, why don¡¯t you take off the pants, pull my hair, and fuck me. We¡¯ll y with the rest of the jewelryter. The words were there, but the cor was pressing delicately against the front of her throat and she remained mute. He looped the other end of the chain around the top rung of the chair back, between her hands. He wrapped it around and around until he¡¯d used up the remaining length. He then secured it by attaching the sp through one of the rings interspersed along the chain. When he was done, she was tethered to the chair, with enough ck so she could still shift around, but she couldn¡¯t lean back more than six inches before it went taut. He circled around to the chair where he¡¯d left his stash, and she let her lids slide closed. The world was a little fuzzy, a little soft, but at the same time she was aware of every inch of her skin. This is dangerous. Don¡¯t drown in these feelings and forget why you need to stay in control. This time she didn¡¯t jump when he put his hands on her shoulders. She kept her eyes shut when he slid his hands down her arms to her wrists. ¡°Watch,¡± he murmured. Her eyelids felt heavy, but she obeyed. He was standing before her, one lock of hair fallen forward over his forehead, bisecting one eyebrow. For some reason that made him seem more dangerous. A pirate. A viin. A man who would not just top her, but master her. Control her. He dangled a matching pair of bracelets in front of her face. They were made of half a dozen metal panels connected by narrow bands of metal mesh. Each of the panels was embossed with the image of a stylized female form in one of the ssic submissive postures. The ones she could see were kneeling up, standing presentation, kneeling down, all fours. Cuffs. Like the cor-ne, they could be mistaken for jewelry if not for the D rings attached to the t sps. He slipped them on and fastened them, making sure the D rings were on the back of her wrists, easily essible. Once the cuffs were on, he cupped her hands, cing her palms on the back of the chair with tender care. She felt as if she were delicate and fragile, something to be treasured and mastered with precision and sadistic skill, rather than lustily tied up and spanked. Grif went to the wall and lowered the metalttice. The sound of the motor echoed against the walls, seeming painfully loud in the silence. Though they were ying in a huge space, the air felt close, as if there was too little oxygen. Grif came back, carrying another of those long chains. He¡¯d lowered thettice to the point he had to duck slightly to walk under it without banging his head. He slid the end of the chain through the D ring on her right cuff, secured it, then looped the other end of the chain through thettice. She forced herself to breathe as he fastened the chain to her left cuff. ¡°Arms up,¡± he said quietly. ¡°Rest your wrists on your head.¡± Another familiar order that felt so different. She propped her wrists one atop the other on the crown of her head. With thettice lowered to the point it was only a foot above her head, there was plenty of ck. The chaining from her left wrist fell across her forehead and cheek. It obscured her vision and when she blinked, hershes brushed against the metal. She was so distracted by the odd sensation that Grif took her by surprise when he cupped her head, thumbs in front of her ears, and kissed her. His mouth pressed against hers so hard that her lips were jammed against her teeth. His tongue delved in,manding and consuming her. When she didn¡¯t kiss him back passionately enough, he pressed his fingertips against her scalp, urging her without words to do¡­something. Davina was captured, held. Her head in his hands, his cor around her neck. She wanted to lean into him, push against him and take the fight to him so to speak¡ªslide her tongue into his mouth, nip his lip ¡ªbut she didn¡¯t have the leverage; all she could do was ept, so she sucked his tongue before sliding hers against it. Grif groaned and then bit her bottom lip, hard enough to give her that much-needed zing of pain. Then he was gone, backing away from her so suddenly that she swayed, the chain from her cor going taut for a moment before she centered her weight. The sides of her head and neck felt cold after the warmth of his hands. Thettice above her started to rise. She¡¯d been so ovee by the aftermath of that kiss that she hadn¡¯t heard the motor whirr to life. Her wrists were still stacked on the crown of her head, and it was several breaths before the chain that had fallen across her face was pulled away. A few more breaths and the chain went taut, her wrists starting to rise. He stopped when her wrists were suspended just above the top of her head. This left her elbows bent comfortably, shoulders more or less rxed. ¡°Those aren¡¯t padded suspension cuffs,¡± Grif said. ¡°You will tell me if they start to hurt and I can help you adjust your position.¡± ¡°I know how to adjust to keep myselffortable,¡± Davina said. Grif gave her a strange look. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to adjust your own posture. I¡¯m ordering you to tell me if your wrists start to hurt from the cuffs.¡± Davina¡¯s spine went stiff; her shoulders tensed. ¡°Fine.¡± Grif took a half step back and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m taking this too far. I¡¯m sorry. We should stop.¡± He was taking it too far. He was being too¡­ different. Normally this level of intensity was reserved for the end of a scene, when the barriers were stripped, and they were two beings of raw need. They¡¯d barely started and he was expecting her to be silent and still and quiet and submissive and that wasn¡¯t who she was¡­anymore. She was confident and sexual and assertive. Yet she didn¡¯t agree with Grif¡¯s statement that they should stop. Didn¡¯tugh or shrug it off to lighten the tension. She couldn¡¯t, because this wasn¡¯t just about her. Grif looked disappointed, or defeated. He¡¯d half turned so she couldn¡¯t see his whole face, but the set of his shoulders told her what she needed to know. Putting this particr cor on her had aroused him faster than any other time they¡¯d scened together. That kiss¡­ It had been more than just passionate. It had been raw and possessive. She wanted to feel that from him again. She wanted him to kiss her like that. Wanted to know what it would feel like if he fucked her the way he¡¯d just kissed her. That¡¯s a dangerous thing to want. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to stop.¡± Those words felt ripped out of her, yanked from some ce deep within where private truths were kept. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you if the cuffs hurt,¡± she said quickly. ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± She rattled the chains. His shoulders rxed, the bunched muscles under his freckled skin smoothing out. Then he straightened¡ªheading up first, shoulders pulling back until he stood tall, like a soldier at attention. Then he turned to her, and he wasn¡¯t a soldier, but a warrior king¡ªunapologetically dominant and arrogant. ¡°Then it¡¯s time to strip you and add more jewelry.¡± Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Grif hoped she hadn¡¯t been able to see how frustrated and disappointed he¡¯d been when it seemed they¡¯d have to stop the scene. He didn¡¯t think she had, but, oddly, he was having a hard time reading her. Normally he knew what she wanted, what she could take, based on her non-verbals. Right now he couldn¡¯t tell. Couldn¡¯t read her the way he should be able to. It was probably more urate to say he was mis-reading her, because her non-verbals were distinctly not Davina-ish. When he¡¯d finished tethering her cor to the chair, she¡¯d closed her eyes, lowered her chin, and turned her hands palms out. It was the most submissive posture he¡¯d ever seen her take without a direct order to do so. He could have dismissed the lowered eyes and down-tilted chin as her doing some of her yoga breathing to center herself, but the hands¡­ That had been something new, something different. Seeing her like that, so quietly submissive, had given him a raging hard on so fast that it physically hurt. His strong, guarded minx had gone soft and quiet and that triggered some primal Dom urges deep in his brain. It wasn¡¯t just the posture that had gotten his dick diamond hard, so fast. It was that she was the one doing it. He¡¯d been with high-protocol or more ssically submissive subs before her. They would have done more than simply turn their hands palms out to show him how submissive and willing they were. Such a small thing, easily overlooked, to turn the hands, exposing the soft skin of her palms and thin, pale skin of her wrists. When Davina did it¡­ The impact of that small gesture was profound. Then she¡¯d snapped back, said she would take care of herself¡ªwatch out for her ownfort as far as the jewelry cuffs went. It had been like a ssh of cold water. It cooled this congration within, and he¡¯d realized the things he was thinking and nning were too much. He¡¯d had to rein himself in, fight the urge to push. Then everything had changed again. I don¡¯t want you to stop. Something about the way she¡¯d said it¡ªeach sybleced with raw need¡ªtold him as much as her words did that she wanted to keep going. He hadn¡¯t been reading her wrong. She was reacting, submitting, in a way she hadn¡¯t ever before. Two years together, and it seemed he still had a lot to learn about his sub. His sub. He normally didn¡¯t think of her like that. The verbiage they normally used was ¡°partner.¡± She was the ¡°submissive partner¡± not the sub. His sub. She¡¯s mine. Grif was still painfully aroused, and holding on to his control with a metaphorical chain as delicate as the ones he was using on her. The jewelry was forcing them to adapt to a totally different kind of y than they¡¯d ever engaged in before. Back in the Den, perusing the selection of delicate jewelry, he thought he¡¯d understood why the overseers had referred to it as a ¡°challenge.¡± Jewelry was a symbol, not a functioning BDSM toy. Delicate chain wasn¡¯t a viable option to physically restrain someone. What he was using had the tensile strength to support the weight of her slender arms when she was at rest and rtively still, but one good yank and it would snap. That meant that they were both going to have to exercise the kind of restraint they normally didn¡¯t employ. The cor, cuffs, and basic restraints were only the first, and simplest, pieces of jewelry. He wouldn¡¯t be happy until she was dripping with delicate chains, her body desperate with need, her mind fully and firmly in subspace. Subspace. Davina, his minx, soft and open. Not worrying or thinking, but letting go in that most vulnerable way. He¡¯d never been able to get her into subspace without inversion bondage, impact y, or some combination of both. They¡¯d talked about it, and neither one of them had been particrly worried. She wasn¡¯t really looking for peace the way some people in the lifestyle did. For Davina, BDSM was an outlet for her emotions. When they were together, she let loose her rage, worry, and pain. He could handle it, handle her when she needed to let go. Tie her down, bind her so she was still and had something to fight against. Only rarely did her emotional well run dry enough¡ªor the physical sensations be strong enough ¡ªfor her to sink into subspace. But here she was, seeming to move and react on instinct, her motions and body soft. A challenge. This game was all about the challenge. He would set a second, secret challenge for himself. Use nothing but the jewelry, his hands, and his words, to get her into subspace. Given the historical record of how they worked, that idea was absurd. Doomed to failure. But some part of him had suspected¡ªno, more than that, was sure¡ªhe could do it. Instinct born of familiarity? There would be timeter to explore that idea¡ªthat he knew her so well that he¡¯d be able to predict her reaction to unknown stimuli both physical and mental. Now was the time to act. To touch. He needed to get her out of those clothes. He¡¯d considered taking them off before doing anything else, but he had to admit he liked cutting or ripping her clothing off her. She¡¯d gotten in the habit of pointing out when he was about to bind or position her in such a way that the clothes would have to be cut. Sometimes she just stripped on her own. He knew how to take a hint¡ªshe didn¡¯t want him wrecking any more of her clothes. He wished he could just buy her a bunch of cheap lingerie and then destroy it to his heart¡¯s content, but choosing clothing was a power exchange activity, and not really something they did. But tonight¡­tonight he was going to cut those clothes off her one inch at a time. ¡°I¡¯m going to remove your clothing now.¡± He stroked the delicate line of her neck, fingering the cor. He liked how tight it was, how close to her skin it fit. Taking the safety scissors he¡¯d grabbed from the tack room, he slid the blunt tip under the neckline of the mesh tank top. The metal must have been cold because she shivered. He cut through the band of fabric that edged the neckline. The quiet snick of fabric was only barely audible over the sound of her slightly ragged breathing. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you another one,¡± he murmured. It was what he always said if he destroyed something¡ªa private joke. Her normal response was, ¡°This old thing?¡± said with that sexy smile he sometimes dreamed about. Once again, today was different. ¡°Just get it off,¡± she begged. ¡°I need¡­¡± He waited, leaning forward, mindful of the scissors he held pressed against her sternum. The maddening woman didn¡¯t finish that thought. ¡°What do you need?¡± Davina looked at him under hershes and shook her head. ¡°Minx.¡± He withdrew the scissors. Her eyes widened with outrage. Following that newly discovered instinct, he tugged gently on the chain tethering her cor to the chair. ¡°When I ask you a question, you answer.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know¡­ I don¡¯t know the answer.¡± Grif traced the exposed underside of her raised arm from elbow to her smooth armpit. She shivered. He slid a finger under the strap of the tank top, lifted it from her skin, and then snipped through it. Davina¡¯s eyes slid closed. He snipped the other strap. The stubborn fabric clung to her. Her nipple bars glinted in the light. Once he had the shirt off, he would take those out. Or¡­ Grif hooked his pinky in one of the diamond-shaped openings just below her left nipple. For one delicious moment he was touching the smooth, sweet skin of her breast. Pulling the fabric away, he snipped. When he released her mangled shirt, there was a nice-size opening that exposed her whole right nipple and are. Davina made an approving noise. He did the same to the other side of the shirt before tucking the scissors into his back pocket. ¡°I¡¯m going to take out the nipple bars.¡± She hummed in approval, then her chin came up. She smiled and raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re going to take off the only jewelry I was wearing when we started?¡± There was his Davina¡ªthat smile. He would do terrible, wonderful things to make this woman smile. He grinned in response to her tone as much as the question itself. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, there will be jewelry on these sweet things.¡± He reached out with both hands, cupping her breasts and thumbing her nipples. Sometimes nipple y made her smile or moan. If she was really turned on, she¡¯d grimace or grit her teeth, a somewhat counterintuitive reaction he¡¯d had to get used to. This time she made a small sweet sound, almost like a whimper of need, and shivered, seeming to melt back into her quiet submission. ¡°I¡¯m going to take these out.¡± His voice was rough, lower than he¡¯d meant it to be. ¡°Because when I finish cutting off this shirt and strip you, I want you totally naked. Nothing on you, or in you, that I didn¡¯t put there.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I want that,¡± she breathed. ¡°You. I want you. Please.¡± ¡°Are you wet?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If I fucked you right now¡ª¡± ¡°Please do. Please.¡± ¡°No.¡± He snapped the denial and she shivered once more. ¡°Not yet,¡± he amended. Bending, he kissed her right nipple, then grasped the ball on one end of the bar and started twisting the other. There was no way to do this without tugging and tweaking her nipple. He was as gentle as he could be, but by the time he¡¯d unscrewed the second bar her breathing had changed¡ªshallow pants that kept her breasts still, and betrayed how much she was enjoying this. He tucked her nipple jewelry into his pocket and examined her breasts. There was something crude and almost savage about the way she looked right now¡ªshirt torn up, breasts poking lewdly through the holes. Lifting the safety scissors once again, he slid it under the shirt. Snip. Snip. Snip. With each cut, the stretchy mesh parted a bit more. The holes he¡¯d cut meant that even when he¡¯d snipped it open down to her abdomen, the fabric clung to her, caught on the tips of her breasts the way it had been caught on her nipple bars. Lifting the hem with his free hand, he cut through the final bit of fabric. For a moment the shirt stayed on, held up by her breasts. He could have waited for it to slide off¡ªher breathing wasn¡¯t shallow, but deep, and he could see the fabric sliding with each inhale¡ªbut he didn¡¯t want to wait. Grasping the fabric, he peeled it away. She responded with a little gasp that made her tits bounce. His cock twitched in reaction to the sound. She looked naked, soft, and vulnerable. He wasn¡¯t used to seeing her breasts without the nipple bars. Not that he hadn¡¯t ever taken them out before¡ªthey¡¯d yed with mps, and for safety always took out her nipple jewelry before doing anything with mps. Her arms were rxed, elbows slightly forward, but she was shifting her weight from knee to knee, her hips rocking side to side. He knew that motion, recognized it for what it was. A sign that she was aroused. Very aroused. Cupping her waist, he ran his palms up her sides, following the unhindered line of flesh from waist to ribcage, ribcage to armpit, then along her arms. He checked the cuffs at her wrists, sliding the tip of his thumb between skin and metal. ¡°How do your wrists feel?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Are you paying attention? Are you adjusting to keep yourselffortable?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Davina blinked several times, then looked up at him, eyes round with shock. ¡°I¡¯m not. I¡¯m not at all.¡± ¡°Then I will take care of you.¡± Grif wrapped his hands around her wrists, over the cuffs, so their arm positions were mirrored, then leaned in and kissed her. She tipped her head back, her mouth soft and open. He kissed her gently, then nipped her bottom lip. He rested his forehead against hers, their breath mingling. ¡°I want to do things to you¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I was going to say that I want to do things to you that should scare you.¡± ¡°Why? I trust you.¡± ¡°Because what I want to do is different.¡± ¡°I¡­know.¡± There was more he wanted to say, to ask. Do you realize you¡¯re behaving differently? Are you doing it on purpose? Or are you, like me, reacting on instinct? Instead he rubbed the base of each hand with his thumbs before stepping back. ¡°I don¡¯t want you thinking about the cuffs, or adjusting your position.¡± ¡°I can do it, I just¡ª¡± ¡°I said I don¡¯t want that.¡± He kept his voice mild as he interrupted her protest. ¡°That¡¯s not what this scene is about.¡± Her shoulders rxed. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Grif checked his jewelry supplies, but couldn¡¯t find anything that would work. A quick trip to the tack room and he had what he needed¡ªtwo padded leather cuffs with buckles and D rings. Rather than attaching them to her wrists, he ced the cuffs around her upper arms, at the elbow. Using the thinnest rope they had¡ªmore like twine than rope¡ªhe added to her delicate bondage. For this set of bindings, he went straight up from each cuff to thettice with a double length of rope. He adjusted the twine so it was tight enough that the cuffs were taking most of the weight of her arms, but not so tight that her shoulders were stretched. Her wrists might still end up bearing the imprint of the delicate cuffs, but now there wasn¡¯t risk of real injury due to loss of cirction. He stepped back when he was done and examined her. Her elbows were only an inch higher than they had been, but they were pulled back, level with her ears rather than pointing forward. It elevated her naked breasts. He picked up the scissors once more, opening and closing it a few times, watching her watch the des slide against one another. Twisting his wrist, hey the t of the scissors against her right nipple. She gasped and then smiled. It was almost an expression of relief. The metal wasn¡¯t all that cold¡ªhe¡¯d been keeping it tucked in his back pocket when not in use¡ªbut it must have been cool enough. The nipple he¡¯d touched ruched up tight. He slid the scissors down her stomach, watching goosebumps appear on her skin. When he reached the waistband of her skirt, he stopped. He¡¯d thought it was fabric, but upon closer examination¡ªand running his hand over her hip¡ªit was actuallytex or something simr. He put the scissors away. Circling around behind her, Grif stroked and massaged his way down her back from her shoulders to her ass. The material was stretched tight over her butt. He slid the fingers of both hands under the waistband at the back. Then he tightened his hands into fists and yanked his hands apart. Davina yelped as her hips were yanked back. His biceps bunched, and for a moment the rubbery fabric held. With a pop, a one-inch tear appeared in the top. Another yank and the back of the skirt ripped down the center. With a satisfied grunt, he tossed the ruined garment to the side. ¡°Whoa,¡± Davina breathed. Grif palmed her naked ass. Her skin was slightly powdery from the talc she¡¯d used to get the skirt on. He squeezed those sweet butt cheeks together, then separated them, letting air wash over her anus. Reaching to the other chair with one hand, he grabbed a glove and a small tear-open package of medical grade lube. ¡°I bet you expect me to put a nice jeweled plug in your ass.¡± He pulled on the glove, letting it snap against his wrist. ¡°You aren¡¯t?¡± ¡°No, I have something better nned.¡± * * * Grif waited, dick painfully hard in his pants, to see how she¡¯d react to his cryptic statement that he had something better than a plug nned for her ass. His patience was rewarded. Davina made an approving noise low in her throat. She walked her knees back a few inches, towards the front edge of the chair, and lowered her chest as much as she could with her arms up. He watched her ass as she positioned herself, offering her sweet bottom and tight anus to him. Damn, he loved this woman. No. No, that wasn¡¯t it. He didn¡¯t love her. He loved spending time with her. Topping her. He loved that he had a stable BDSM partner whose kinks lined up with his own. He didn¡¯t even know herst name, so he didn¡¯t love her. Couldn¡¯t love her, because that would just be too damned pathetic. Grif ripped the packet of lube open and squeezed some onto the index and middle fingers of his gloved hand. He set the packet, still half full, on the chair between her knees. cing his bare hand on the small of her back, he pressed down, forcing her into a deeper arch. The muscles in her shoulders and thighs tensed as she tried to hold the position. Keeping his hand firm on her back, he slid his lubed fingers between the cheeks of her ass. Fingers together, he rubbed up and down, bumping the rosette of her anus with each pass. Davina sighed¡ªa happy, almost rxed sound¡ªthough her body was still tense and straining to hold the position. ¡°Press back against me,¡± he murmured. They had done this plenty of times before, though for them an anal hook was moremon than a plug. Davina shifted her weight, and Grif slid the tip of his index finger into her ass. She was tight and soft, the outer ring of muscle giving more easily than the inner. He pressed in, folding his ring finger into his palm as he did. When he had the first knuckle buried inside her he took his hand off the small of her back. She shifted a little, stretching out her back, before arching once more. ¡°Getfortable,¡± he murmured. ¡°I¡¯m going to y with you a bit.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± she breathed. He waited for the sassy rest of that sentence, but she didn¡¯t say anything more. She meant it. She was thanking him for ying with her ass. He knew that she both enjoyed and needed it, but to actually thank him for it was honest and real, with no artifice or teasing. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Grif pulled his finger halfway out. With his free hand, he reached down and around, finding the hanging weight of her breast. He cupped and squeezed, kneading her soft flesh. It was odd to feel nothing but her¡ªthe supple, almost downy skin of her breast, the ruched are and tight nipple. There were no hard points of the nipple bar, no ropes crossing above or below to mold and constrain. He lifted her breast, pressing it against her chest, then released it, letting gravity pull on her flesh. Davina began to rock forward and back, fucking her ass on his finger. When she rocked forward, Grif pulled his hand back, withdrawing his fingerpletely. ¡°Wait, please,¡± she whimpered. ¡°I can stay still.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to stay still.¡± Grif released her breast and used the two fingers and thumb of that hand to part her ass cheeks so he could see what he was doing. ¡°I like that you want my finger in your ass.¡± ¡°Not just your finger.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you two fingers.¡± Grifid his index finger on top of his middle finger to make a tapered shape, then positioned his hand, tip of the longer middle finger centered on her asshole. ¡°And you¡¯ll thank me for it.¡± He did a quick little thrust, enough to shove the tips of both fingers into her. It was a deliberately sharp, sudden pration. She yelped, then shivered. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Grif looked down at where his fingers entered her body. He could both see and feel her asshole tightening around his fingers. ¡°Now rx,¡± hemanded. ¡°I want to stretch you open.¡± Another shiver and she made a little noise, part exasperated, part moan of need. ¡°You know it makes me crazy when you talk dirty like that.¡± ¡°Oh, I know.¡± ¡°Diabolical man.¡± ¡°Sexy minx.¡± He put his hand on the small of her back, letting her sweet ass cheeks close. ¡°Rx.¡± She exhaled slowly, and as she did he worked his fingers deeper into her. They went smoothly to the first knuckle. He twisted his hand, pumped, but couldn¡¯t work his fingers in past that first knuckle. It was a bit awkward, but he managed to grab the packet of lube. He dribbled it in the crack of her ass, and when it slid down to her rear entrance, over and around his fingers, he started to work them into her once more. He twisted as he thrust in each time, working her ass with shallow, steady thrusts, until the bulge of his knuckles entered her. Davina yelped. ¡°Why does it feel so big?¡± Her words came out in little huffs of air. ¡°You¡¯ve had three fingers in my ass before and it didn¡¯t feel like this.¡± Pointing out that he¡¯d also used plugs that were thicker wouldn¡¯t help. ¡°Why do you think?¡± he asked instead. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Breathe. Think about it. Then tell me.¡± He kept the pressure on the small of her back, and gently rocked his fingers inside her¡ªnot enough to withdraw past the knuckle, but enough to keep her aware of the pration. ¡°It¡¯s so¡­precise.¡± That wasn¡¯t what he¡¯d expected. ¡°Tell me more.¡± ¡°Usually by the time you start ying with my ass, there¡¯s ropes and maybe a spanking and the ass y is just one more thing.¡± She sighed, then shifted her hips back. His well-lubed fingers slid all the way in. His thumby in the valley of her ass cheeks, his ring and pinky fingers grazing her pussy. ¡°Oh yes, that¡¯s it. It hurts just the right amount,¡± she panted. ¡°Do you like it when I hurt you?¡± He winced after the words were out, realizing he sounded like a damn serial killer. ¡°You know I do.¡± Davina rocked forward and he let her do it, d she hadn¡¯t thought his question¡ª which was more dirty talk than inquiry¡ªtoo creepy. ¡°Fuck your ass on my fingers.¡± Davina¡¯s shoulders and back muscles flexed under her pretty tanned skin, and he realized she was using the restraints at her elbows as leverage points¡ªtightening her upper body so she could pull against the ropes to help shift her hips. He needed to end this. Needed to help her change position before she got a cramp or exhausted herself. She was in good physical shape, and normally he wouldn¡¯t have worried about it, given how rtively unrestricted she was right now. Davina was good about shifting, stretching, and flexing early in a scene to make sure she would have the physical stamina to go into the intense bondage they normally used. Normally. But this wasn¡¯t normal. This was different. ¡°Fuck your ass on my fingers,¡± hemanded again. She leaned forward. The tight ring of her ass clung to him for a moment, as if reluctant to be relieved of the invading digits. He twisted his wrist and his fingers slid out, until only the tip of his middle finger was inside. Grif worked his index finger in, then stilled, leaving it to her to do the rest. Davina¡¯s hips pressed back, her body deliciously tight around him. She wiggled her hips side to side, grunted¡ªa sexy little sound¡ªand then started to thrust back and forth. The motion started small, then grew in both speed and range. Grif took his free hand off her back, not because he didn¡¯t want to touch her, but because if he didn¡¯t do something about his jeans, he was worried there would be a permanent imprint of his zipper on the underside of his cock. He fumbled to unbutton the waistband, his face contorted into a grimace of arousal and pain. He paused, hand on the zipper. He would unzip his pants, shove them down, and then forget his n, the jewelry, this damned checklist game. He would pull his fingers from her ass, grab her hips, and fuck that sweet asshole. He¡¯d had his fingers buried in her long enough to stretch her. He wouldn¡¯t hurt her ¡ªat least not more than they both wanted¡ªif he fucked her ass right now. The need was right there, a prickle at the back of his neck and in his balls, demanding that he sink into her. That he im her, pleasure her, in this most primal way possible. Davina pulled slowly off his fingers, making a happy little sound as she did it. With a groan and inward curse, Grif dropped his hand from the zipper, leaving his pants on. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She paused and turned her head, peeking at him, her chin pressed to her shoulder. ¡°My cock is hard enough to cut ss.¡± She raised one brow and touched her lip with her tongue, her gaze focused on his crotch. ¡°Maybe you should take off your pants.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± He grabbed her hip. That was the only warning she got before he thrust his fingers deep into her ass once more. ¡°And maybe I¡¯ll keep using you.¡± Her eyes closed. ¡°I want your cock inside me. I noticed¡­noticed how fast your cock got hard. How hard you are now. That means¡­¡± ¡°Means what?¡± He fucked her ass almost casually, as they conversed. ¡°Means you like this.¡± ¡°Using you. ying with you.¡± He punctuated each sentence with a thrust of his fingers. ¡°Watching you submit¡­ That makes me hard.¡± ¡°And will you fuck me now? Please.¡± ¡°Fuck you where?¡± ¡°Anywhere.¡± Grif¡¯s trapezius and jaw muscles tightened to the point of pain as he fought to master the raging fire of his own arousal. He thrust his fingers into her ass onest time, then withdrew, watching as her body gaped open for a moment. He took a long step back and stripped off the glove. He could say fuck the n and then fuck her, but he wouldn¡¯t. He wanted more from this scene, and from her. Turning to the second chair, he picked up the next piece of jewelry. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 As the sound of Grif¡¯s footsteps grew louder, Davina pressed her hips back towards him. She was hoping he would touch her again. Prate her again. Even better, fuck her. His hand cupped her right ass cheek. His palms were broad and warm, his fingers digging in just the right amount. This wasn¡¯t petting or stroking. It was too firm and possessive for that. This was her Master touching her. Preparing to use her. Davina¡¯s eyes, which had slid closed as she drifted towards that sweet, serene ce, popped open. Her Master? No. She and Grif didn¡¯t use that term. They were partners. If they had to usebels, he was the top¡ª and even then not always. She was the submissive partner, not the sub or the submissive. Lost in her own thoughts, she was shocked when something blunt and cold touched her asshole. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± she yelped. ¡°The next piece of jewelry.¡± The low, sexy rumble in his voice made her stomach muscles tighten with need. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t going to use a jeweled plug.¡± Her voice sounded breathless and needy, not at all like her normal self. ¡°I¡¯m not. This isn¡¯t a jeweled plug. Or, not just a jeweled plug.¡± Grif released her ass and circled around to stand in front of her. His gaze slid up and down her naked body. ¡°Straighten up. You¡¯re arching your back, and you¡¯ll get tired.¡± She wasn¡¯t just arching her back¡ªshe was arching it in order to stick her ass out. She wanted him to touch her, use her. That was fine and normal¡ªthat was what their rtionship was about, after all. But holding a stress position would make a scene end more quickly. She knew better than to stick out her butt¡ªto pose and posture possibly at the expense ofpleting the n or scene. She pulled her hips forward, kneeling tall. That gave her some good ck on the rope and chain at her arms, so she rolled her shoulders. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Griff leaned in and inspected her wrists. Davina stretched and nipped his chin. ¡°Impatient.¡± He jerked back, rubbing his chin. The corners of his eyes were crinkled with a smile. ¡°Minx.¡± The light caught the item he held in his other hand. She leaned a little to the right, trying to see. Grif put his hand behind his back and grinned. Davina took a deep breath. His eyes dropped to her breasts. Ha. She knew what woulde next. He¡¯d say something teasing, or maybe he¡¯d ¡°punish¡± her with some rough breast y¡ªa gentle p, nipple pinch. Something. Grif¡¯s gaze met hers. Davina took another deep breath, but this time it wasn¡¯t an attempt to make him look, to tempt him. It was a gasp of shock. Grif¡¯s eyes seemed to glitter with¡­anger? Determination? He was beetle-browed, his mouth set in a hard line. He took the toy from behind his back, holding it up so she could see it. It was a plug, but it wasn¡¯t. Rather than a tapered bulb, narrow neck, and red base, this plug was a metal ball, four inches ofrge-link chain, and a round metal disk. The disk, which would serve as the base, was encrusted with rhinestones, and had arge O ring set into it. Davina looked up, trying to catch Grif¡¯s gaze, but he was looking at the center of her forehead. Was he really angry? Why would he be? Because you¡¯re not being a good sub. You¡¯re trying to top from the bottom. You weren¡¯t showing off your breasts because you wanted him to know how willing you were to be used and yed with. You wanted to make sure you could still make him do things. You wanted him to look because you wanted to be in control. And he realized what you were doing. Davina¡¯s teeth clenched. Grif¡¯s fingers closed around the strange plug. ¡°Hips back. Tell me if your shoulders start to hurt.¡± Then he was gone from her line of sight, circling around behind her. Part of her wanted to turn her head and look at him, watch him. It was the same part of her that felt ashamed for what she¡¯d done. She stared resolutely forward, arching her upper body and lifting her ass until her shoulder and back muscles strained. Her ass cheeks were pushed apart, his fingers and thumb holding her open. The defiance and defensiveness that made her jaw tight started to thaw. The cold ball of the plug¡ªwhich felt massive as it glided up and down the crack of her ass¡ªwas intimidating in the best way. Grif centered it on her anus. Without a taper it just sat against the ring of muscle. There was no tip to ease it in. ¡°I¡¯ve prepped your ass,¡± he told her in a cold voice. ¡°You will take the ball all at once. If you tense up and try and keep it out, I will force it in.¡± That was both terrifying and so arousing that her pussy clenched in reaction. Her pussy lips were so slick with her body¡¯s natural lubricant that every time she shifted even a little, she could feel herbia sliding against each other. She knew that by this point her inner thighs were probably wet, too. ¡°I expect you to rx.¡± He moved the hand holding her ass open, insteadying it on the small of her back, a warm, firm presence. ¡°I expect you to take this into your ass.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The word ¡°master¡± was right there, waiting to be used. She held it back. ¡°I will. I¡­want it,¡± she added. ¡°Rx.¡± The cold ball pressed against her, but didn¡¯t enter. Instead the pressure pushed her hips forward. She didn¡¯t have enough leverage to push back against the brute force of this. ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± she stammered. ¡°You will.¡± Grif slid one arm under her, his forearm braced at the bend of her upper thighs and hips. ¡°Trust me. ¡°I do.¡± The ball pressed against her again. Hard and huge and seemingly t. His forearm was like a steel beam under her. A rock and a hard ce? No, her master¡¯s arm and the huge plug, that was where she was stuck. She no longer had any control of her body. Her upper body was supported by the restraints on her arms. The cor around her neck was a constant reminder of her submission. His arm under her hips stopped her from moving, holding her still and in ce for the invader he was forcing against her anus. This was like the rope bondage she loved. Being restrained, held, the ability¡ªand need¡ªto think about how to position herself gone. That realization was like a bright sh of light in her brain. For a moment everything in her mental landscape went white, and then she rxed and let go. The ball forced open her ass. She cried out at the sweet pain, then it was in, her muscles closing around the unfamiliarly flexible chain. The ball was a hard, broad presence inside her. She felt full and used¡ªboth familiar sensations, but this was different. It was like tasting a new breed of orange¡ªthe vor familiar, yet subtly different. ¡°Well done,¡± he murmured. ¡°That was big, and you took it beautifully. ¡°Thank you, Master,¡± she murmured. That felt so good to say. It felt so good to have his cor tight on her neck, her ass aching, her nipples tight with need, her pussy wet and ready for him. Grif¡¯s hands, stroking her hips and thighs, stilled for a moment. ¡°Say my name,¡± he murmured. And oddmand, but amand. ¡°Grif.¡± ¡°And who am I¡­who am I to you?¡± ¡°My master.¡± He squeezed her hips, then circled around to her front. Lifting her chin, he met her gaze. His eyes were so warm. So pretty. He had longshes. ¡°I¡¯m going to keep going,¡± he said. ¡°Maybe I should stop, but I¡¯m going to keep going.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t stop.¡± He leaned his forehead against hers. ¡°I won¡¯t. I can¡¯t.¡± She loved the smell of his breath¡ªit was always a little minty, because he always brushed his teeth before they started. She¡¯d watched him do it. Had she ever told him how much she liked that he did that? How she¡¯d had to switch to unscented toothpaste because sometimes the smell of mint gave her visceral shbacks to their time together, leaving her wet and needy when she needed to be either getting ready for work or drifting off to sleep. Before she could tell him either of those things he¡¯d turned away. That was okay, she could still feel him ¡ªnot his touch, but his domination, his control. It was there in the cor and cuffs. The way her ass was full and ached from the pressure of the ball and the y that hade before. When he returned, he draped handfuls of carefully separated chain over the chair back. She looked down at it, trying to see if there was anything on the chains, any indication of what he¡¯d use it for. ¡°Keep your back straight,¡± Grif murmured. She brought her hips forward a little, taking the pressure off her lower back. That made the ball shift inside her, and brought the encrusted disk-base tight against the outside of her anus. She gasped at the feel of the bumpy surface against the sensitive skin. ¡°Tell me,¡± hemanded. ¡°The base of the plug. It feels¡­¡± He grinned. ¡°It¡¯s jeweled on the inner face, to stimte you. Jewelry.¡± Davina¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Of course, Master, it makes perfect sense.¡± Grif blinked. ¡°Davina.¡± Why had he said her name like that? ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re saying?¡± What a ridiculous question. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re calling me Master.¡± ¡°Because you are my Master.¡± That was true. Maybe she¡¯d ignored it before, hurt both of them by not using the word, but now her mind was clear. Aroused to the point of intoxication, bound in a wonderful, unfamiliar way, she had total rity. The reasons she hadn¡¯t used the word before didn¡¯t matter. Her past didn¡¯t matter, in the ce of weightless rity she didn¡¯t need to lie and evade to protect herself. She knew what she was doing, and what she needed. You need to pull it together and take about a million steps back. This is such a bad situation for you. That internal voice was annoying, and easy to ignore. ¡°Okay.¡± His shoulders rxed, but his brow was still furrowed. ¡°I needed to check. While we¡¯re at it, tell me your safe word.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± One of Grif¡¯s brows rose. ¡°Did I ask if you needed it?¡± Davina all but purred with happy pleasure at the displeasure in his tone. This was what she wanted¡ªto be corrected and mastered. ¡°No, Master.¡± ¡°What is your safe word?¡± ¡°Mand.¡± ¡°Minx.¡± Now he said it with affection and approval. ¡°Time to decorate those pretty breasts.¡± Davina took a deep breath, offering herself to him. Grif cupped and lifted her right breast, squeezing until the skin plumped between his syed fingers. His lips closed delicately over the tip, a gentle kiss, at odds with the way he held her tit. Then he sucked her into his mouth, taking not just the nipple, but the whole are. Davina gasped as he sucked. Each pull of his mouth made her pussy clench. She¡¯d always found it odd and wonderful that there seemed to be some magical connection between nipples and pussy. A connection that existed only when she was aroused. He sucked hard and pulled his head away. The suction of his warm, wet mouth elongated her nipple until finally her flesh popped from his mouth. She leaned towards him, wanting more, her arms and shoulders stretched taut. ¡°Straighten up,¡± hemanded. ¡°And hold still.¡± With a small whimper of protest she obeyed. She should have trusted him, should have known there would be more wonderful, dark thingsing. ¡°This is what I¡¯m using on you next.¡± Davina licked her lips as she looked at what he held up. A nipple cage. It wasrger than ones she¡¯d seen before¡ªthe diameter of a quarter. Delicate bands of silver metal formed a filigree dome that didn¡¯t just go around her nipple, but enclosed it. The ends of the looping, woven bands were anchored at two small open rings, with a straight post threaded through it. Rather than simple balls, the delicate post ended in filigreed disks. Grif bnced the cage on the chair, then quickly swiped an alcohol wipe over the nipple he¡¯d just been sucking. He quickly cleaned his hands with hand sanitizer, and then picked up the nipple cage and unscrewed one disk before pulling the post free. Her nipple was still damp, are tight from the cooling effect of air on wet flesh. He stroked the bottom curve of her breast, waiting for her are to rx. Once it had, he ced the cage over her nipple, lining it up with the piercing holes. ¡°I¡¯m going to put the nipple cage on now. Take a breath and hold still. I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡± He threaded the post through the ring of the nipple cage, then carefully started to wiggle and slide the post through the piercing hole. She was panting by the time he was done. Having him insert nipple jewelry was a mix of ufortable, arousing, and wonderfully intimate. Nipple jewelry was sexy when it was in, but putting it in was just a bit odd and awkward, simr to putting in stud earrings. The end of the post was threaded through the small mooring ring on the other edge of the cage. He screwed on the disk, then stepped back. She gasped in shock at the weight of it. Though it was delicately made, with a small gauge post, the nipple cage was farrger than what she normally wore. She¡¯d never worn a cage before, but the ones she¡¯d asionally considered purchasing had always been smaller, meant to hug and cup the nipple itself. This cage, like others, would sit t if it was ced on a table. Fastened to the tip of her breast, and given the size, it had rotated forward, leaving a gap between the upper line of her tit and the top band of metal. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. As Grif went to work on her other nipple, Davina looked down at her breast, examining her new bondage. The longer she looked, the more sure she was that bondage was the right word. The bar through her nipple, and the weight of the piece, were stimting, but she would soon get used to that, and once she did, it would be very hard¡ªimpossible even¡ªfor her Master to y with her nipples. The cage arched over the nipple itself, leaving several centimeters of clearance. The diameter of the cage wasrge enough that it epassed almost all of her¡ªadmittedly small¡ªare. It was like he¡¯d locked part of her away. An odd, uneasy shiver worked down her spine. This should have been satisfying, should have been part of the feeling of restriction that she so enjoyed about bondage. Instead... She shook her head, as if that would help the thought solidify. ¡°Hold still,¡± Grif admonished. He finished attaching the second cage. This time when he stepped back he kept going, until he was a yard away. ¡°Why these, Master?¡± she asked softly. ¡°Why nipple jewelry?¡± ¡°Why this kind. They¡¯re so big.¡± ¡°You wear barbells normally. For this to be different the jewelry had to be different.¡± ¡°What about those biting ones?¡± One time when they¡¯d been nning a scene together, looking at still images from a session one of their favorite BDSM artists had performed, they¡¯d talked about the submissive partner¡¯s nipple jewelry¡ªtight fitting nipple cages that looked like a full set of teeth with fangs, almost like those small white stic sets of teeth that came in bags of candy at Halloween, but made of silver, and fitted snuggly to the woman¡¯s nipples. He tucked both hands into the pockets of his jeans. The button was undone and she could see enough skin to know he wore nothing under them. ¡°They had some of those. I chose this for you. This is what I wanted for you.¡± She wanted to demand to know why he hadn¡¯t selected those. They¡¯d talked about them, so he¡¯d known she would like them. ¡°Why¡± was on the tip of her tongue ready to be not so much spoken as spat at him. She exhaled and rxed. It wasn¡¯t a conscious decision. She was still mentally debating saying more, when she felt her body rx. It was a subconscious reaction to the situation. To his words. To him. He selected one of the chains he¡¯d draped over the chair. Like the ones he¡¯d used earlier, it was long with spring ring sps on both ends. He held it up, found the mid-point, then held that in the air, eyeing the chain and then her. He set that one down and selected another, repeating the process until he found one that was the right length for whatever he was nning. Grif carefully attached one end to the top side of the right nipple cage. He slid the chain behind her neck and down to her left nipple. The chain was an inch too short to reach. He gave a little tug, lifting the right cage, and her nipple along with it. She gasped in reaction, then held that air in as he fastened the other end of the chain. Once it was secure, he slid one finger from each hand under the chain, tracing the path from her breasts up over her corbone to her neck. He adjusted it until the tension was even. ¡°How does that feel?¡± He bent, peering closely at each nipple in turn. ¡°Odd.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­it¡¯s not like when we y with weights. The cage is pushing against me, and the bar feels different than my normal one.¡± ¡°This is supposed to be different.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you selected these?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve established that.¡± His formal words and tone made her wonder if he was maybe awyer. Over the years she¡¯d spent more hours than she would ever admit to wondering about him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize. You need to ept I won¡¯t always answer.¡± He picked up another length of chain. This time he started on her left, clipping the chain to the nipple cage, but this time instead of going up, he brought the chain down and across her body, under her right breast, across her back, then back around front, connecting once more to the left nipple cage. The chain draped low on her back, just touching the top of her ass. She shifted her hips, feeling it shift and dance. That also made the plug, which she¡¯d momentarily gotten used to, shift around enough that she was again wildly aware of the fullness and strange sensation of the links and encrusted disk. He then repeated that pattern with another chain, starting with her right nipple. Again she shifted, feeling the slide of cool, delicate metal against her skin. Grif touched her cheek, enough to make her eyes, which had half closed as she focused on the sensation of the plug he¡¯d ced inside her, open. When her gaze met his, he reached down, without breaking eye contact, and unfastened the chain tethering her cor to her chair. Was the scene over? He carefully unwound it, leaving the end he¡¯d attached to the o ring of her cor in ce. She swallowed hard, wanting to feel the restriction. He shook out the chain. ¡°Put your right foot on the ground. On the side of the chair. I need your legs spread.¡± He was going to touch her pussy. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± She obeyed, her right side now stretched in a long line from her foot on the floor to her raised elbow. After a moment she could feel the leather cuff starting to cut off blood flow to her forearm. ¡°It won¡¯t be for long.¡± Grif threaded the chain between her legs. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to see it, but I¡¯m putting this through the ring in the plug.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet, Minx. You don¡¯t know how tight I¡¯m going to make this.¡± He put action to words, pulling the chain tight. It jammed against her pussy, slightly off center so it was pressing hard on herbia. When he tugged again, it slid into the space between her pussy and left thigh. He passed the end of the chain over her shoulder, then smoothed it down the centerline of her body, laying it against itself, before finally clipping it to therger ring closest to where the endy. When he was done, a single long length wound along the midline of her body. ¡°Knee back up,¡± he ordered. Her shoulders rxed when she put her knee on the chair, releasing some of the tension. Grif crouched, peering at her pussy between thedder back rungs of the chair. Reaching around, he swiped his thumb over her mound. ¡°You¡¯re soaking wet.¡± ¡°I need you,¡± she whispered. ¡°And I¡¯m so hard for you, my cock could cut diamonds. But we¡¯re not done.¡± ¡°What more do we have to do?¡± she asked rather desperately. Based on the length in feet of jewelry chain she was wearing, this was more jewelry than she¡¯d ever worn before in her life. ¡°I have a challenge.¡± His words were so low she could barely hear them. When he used his thumb to hook the chain, tugging it sideways so that it slid between her naked, wetbia, she stopped trying to listen. ¡°I think I¡¯ve done it already. Now it¡¯s about how far we can go.¡± He parted the lips of her sex, spreading them wide and then tugging the chain with his free hand, shifting it over so it was situated between her pussy lips. The plug shifted inside her, the tiny links of the chain rubbed over her clit and she threw her head back, wailing between her teeth. Grif surged to his feet. ¡°Did you juste?¡± ¡°No, Master, no.¡± She blinked at him. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. It was so¡­precise.¡± ¡°Precise?¡± ¡°The chain on my clit¡­ Precise.¡± His gaze traveled down her, and it was the calcting, possessive gaze of a Master. She waited¡ª bound in chain and panting with need, her nipples aching to be touched, yet trapped in the vacuum of the cage, the only stimtion the constant pulling from the length looped around her body and the pressure of the ball in her ass. Her Master picked up another chain. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Davina stared peacefully into middle distance, moving when he told her to, breathing deeply, if a bit unsteadily. She knew what this feeling of peace and rity was¡ªthis is what she strived for, yet feared. Some called it subspace, but she had a private name for it. Serenity. This was her serenity. Grif had helped her find serenity many times¡ªusually while she was in suspension bondage or during impact y. As much as she liked¡ªno, longed for¡ªthis feeling, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to give in to it without strong BDSM y. The woman she was now had trouble letting go enough to find this kind of peace for the same reasons she didn¡¯t like to cry. One of her best friends loved to cry. She would purposefully watch sad shows or movies, and happily sniffle and sob. At the end she¡¯d wipe her tears and say ¡°that was amazing.¡± Davina thought that was insane. Crying was for the shower, where no one could hear you and where the tears could mingle with the water, being washed away immediately. And yet, here she was, in her serenity, with no rope or flogger in sight. A small voice was insisting that should bother her. That she was now the one sobbing and sniffling while watching a Lifetime movie. She ignored that voice, the same voice that had freaked out when she¡¯d called Grif ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Last one,¡± he murmured. She¡¯d lost track of how many chains he ced on and around her. He¡¯d attached so many sps to the nipple cages that the filigree was all but obscured. The chains leading from her breasts hung loosely around her torso, crossed her back, and draped over her shoulders. More chains were anchored in the ring of the plug. Those wound between and over her thighs, or snaked up to wrap around her waist. It was as if she was swathed in a loose weave of jewelry. Only the cor and the center chain that crossed over her clit were pulled tight. Grif walked around her, his gaze so intense it was almost a physical touch. ¡°You look¡­¡± He made a sound that was both possessive and proud, almost a growl. ¡°My beautiful minx, bound with jewelry.¡± He reached up and untied the twine connecting the cuffs on her upper arms to thettice above. ¡°We¡¯re done, Master?¡± ¡°No, but you can¡¯t stay like this anymore.¡± He was efficient, and in no time had the leather cuffs off. ¡°Flex your arms. Good. How do you feel?¡± T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Stiff. My shoulders hurt a little.¡± Grif massaged her arms and shoulders with firm squeezes. ¡°Thank you for telling me.¡± He pulled over the other chair, stood on it¡ªhunched so he wouldn¡¯t hit his head¡ªand then unfastened the chain suspending the jewelry wrist cuffs to thettice. He took her hands in his as he got down,cing their fingers together and lowering her arms to her sides. As stiff as she was, his controlling her movement helped. He lifted their inteced hands, kissing each of her wrists in turn. ¡°You look lovely,¡± he murmured against her skin. He lowered her arms to her sides, then without pause grabbed the chains dangling from the cuffs and connected the ends to the web that draped her body. Again he took a step back, looking at her. There was an expression on his face she¡¯d never seen before, an expression she didn¡¯t know how to read. She wondered what he saw. ¡°One more piece.¡± ¡°I thought you said that already, Master.¡± Finding her serenity didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t be a little bit sassy. ¡°Last chain. I have one more thing that¡¯s not¡­okay, well, it¡¯s made of chain, but it¡¯s different.¡± He reached back, into a pocket¡ªhow there was any room in his pockets with his hard cock taking up all the space in his pants she didn¡¯t know¡ªbut he pulled out onest thing. He walked around behind her, but now, with her arms at her sides she was able to turn her head and watch him. ¡°Face forward,¡± hemanded. With a little smile she obeyed, letting her lids slide half closed. Had she ever been this aroused before? Her serenity sometimes distorted her sense of time. What felt like several hours had probably been no more than a half hour. Any longer and her shoulders and back would hurt, rather than just ache a bit as they did now. In that time¡ªbe it thirty minutes or thirty hours¡ªshe¡¯d be so achingly aroused it was like a new state of being. A state of being that fit well with her serenity. Yet the arousal made no sense. She and Grif usually had a sexualponent to their y. It was one of the many benefits of a private club, that prative sex was allowed, with the club taking care of logistics like regr STD and STI checks. Yet there were times when their scenes, particrly rope bondage or impact y scenes¡ªthose most likely to allow her to find her serenity¡ªweren¡¯t exactly arousing. It was one of the things many people didn¡¯t understand about BDSM. It wasn¡¯t always sexual. That was why friends could be scene partners. Flogging¡ªgiving or receiving¡ªcould be an amazing release, without any sexual stimtion. Because she and Grif had yed for years, and there usually was sex at the end, she¡¯d be ustomed to having some sort of sex serve as the climax of the scene. As a result, things that were not necessarily arousing were arousing for her, because she was with Grif. On the asions she¡¯d been flogged by someone else¡ªas an experienced switch she was a good bottom for beginners or those learning a new tool¡ªshe would enjoy it, but not find herself wet and needy. With anyone else, after the flogging she¡¯d shake it off, smile, and then thank her partner, with the same tone and level of intimacy she used with her masseuse. Her current state of arousal, let alone the almost blissful state of serenity she found herself in, seemed disproportionate with what had happened up until now. Though she enjoyed anal in its own right, the plug wasn¡¯t sexually stimting enough to justify how wet she was, how her body flushed hot and cold on alternating breaths. Her nipples, which were a major erogenous zone for her, were bereft of stimtion, trapped as they were within the abnormallyrge cages. True, the vertical midline chain asionally touched her clit, but with her arms down it was no longer as tight as it had been, and she was fairly certain she was so wet the thing was all but glued to herbia, and therefore not moving enough to be the root cause of her current state. Maybe it was because they were mid-scene. Maybe this was just her normal sex-ising-soon arousal, but it didn¡¯t feel like it. He¡¯s your Master, and that makes it better. Not for the first time, unease slipped through her, but it was a fleeting thing, quickly burned off by the congration of her need. Grif ced something on her head, sliding it into ce. It was cool metal, and sat on her head like a circlet, or a Rambo-style headband. ¡°This matches the cuffs,¡± he exined. ¡°It¡¯s made out of the same metal squares.¡± She nced down at her wrists, where the relief embossed vites on their small panels caught the light. ¡°There¡¯s another part to it. Close your eyes.¡± Chain¡ªof course there was chain¡ªjingled, and then something was ced over her closed eyes. Cool metal settled on her upper cheeks and nose, then something brushed her lips. ¡°What is it?¡± she whispered. ¡°It¡¯s a chain blindfold. Two sort of half circles made up of a bunch of chains are covering your eyes. Kind of like upside down rainbows, I guess. They¡¯re attached to the crown.¡± ¡°A crown. A bondage crown?¡± Lips brushed her shoulder. ¡°For my minx.¡± There was a definite emphasis on the word ¡°my.¡± She shivered. ¡°You¡¯ll still be able to see, though not well.¡± Grif¡¯s hands cupped her waist, pressing links to flesh. ¡°Now step back off the chair.¡± With him guiding her, she slid off the chair. Her knees protested for a moment, but without her saying or doing anything, he knew. Her Master reached down to massage them as he had her shoulders. It was then that she tried to open her eyes. Her eyshes brushed against something, an odd sensation, and she blinked rapidly, which only made it worse. Finally she widened her eyes, holding them open to stop the instinctive blinking. Her field of vision was mostly obscured by dark blobs and lines¡ªthe links of the ¡°blindfold.¡± She could see a few things clearly¡ªthe door to one of the stalls across from where they were and a light fixture. The rest was blurred colors. She could see enough to tell where she was, and probably could walk unassisted, though that was in part due to her familiarity with the venue. ¡°Last bit,¡± Grif said as he rose from tending her knees. ¡°You¡¯ve said that several times.¡± ¡°And I mean it each time.¡± Grif thumbed the underside of her breast. ¡°Anything else to say?¡± ¡°To¡­say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to gag you, too.¡± Davina¡¯s breath caught. ¡°Exhale,¡± hemanded. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­don¡¯t love being gagged.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I like to talk. No, I don¡¯t mean it like that. I like to be able tomunicate with you.¡± ¡°And you think talking is the only way to do that?¡± Davina brought one hand to her stomach, pressing it there to still the anxious butterflies. She was startled by the feel of the ne lengths under her palm. ¡°Hand down.¡± She obeyed¡ªwithout question or resentment. ¡°Tell me what you¡¯re feeling.¡± ¡°Anxious.¡± ¡°Anxious, not just nervous?¡± ¡°Anxious,¡± she confirmed. ¡°This isn¡¯t¡­we don¡¯t use gags.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not a hard limit, for either of us. I checked.¡± He¡¯d checked. He¡¯d nned this. He wanted her gagged. The anxiety released, like air gushing out of a deting mattress. ¡°I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m ready, Master.¡± Again he touched her breast, and she hated the cages for stopping that touch from moving up to her sensitive nipple. ¡°Open your mouth.¡± When she did, he touched something not to her lips, but to her top teeth. ¡°Now close, slowly.¡± She did, and to her surprise found her bottom teeth sliding into what felt like a groove in a very small gag. ¡°This is part of the crown.¡± Grif made adjustments to the piece on her forehead, chains tinkling quietly. ¡°It¡¯s a one-and-a-half-inch wide stainless steel ball with a rubber lined channel carved into the center. Your teeth are in the channel. To keep it in ce you have to keep your mouth closed and hold it in. It won¡¯t be strapped or anything like that. If it gets too heavy, spit it out. It won¡¯t fall on your toes or anything like that. It¡¯s connected to the crown with a chain.¡± He wiggled one chain, the one that fell over her lips. ¡°From now on, we use nod for yes, shake head for no. If you are in pain, need to use your safe word, or have something you need me to know, drop the gag and tell me. Do you understand?¡± She wanted to say that she wouldn¡¯t need to use her safe word, that it wasn¡¯t going to be like their other scenes where she would make suggestions or changes¡ªshe trusted him wholly and without reservation. He was her Master. She was his lover, his submissive. She was his. ¡°Do you understand?¡± he asked again, a thread of concern in his voice. She nodded. ¡°Good.¡± She both felt, and saw¡ªthough it was blurry¡ªGrif reach out and gather a few of the chains from her stomach area. Who needed a leash when her entire body was dripping with possible leads? ¡°Follow me.¡± Gagged, half blind, naked, and draped and wrapped in chain like some fantasy ve woman from the covers of a 70¡¯s novel, Davina followed her master out of the Conve. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Thanks to the announcement of the game, Las Palmas was as full as she¡¯d ever seen it. Not that she could see all that well, but the glimpses she did get verified what she could hear¡ªplenty of people to go with all those voices. When she¡¯d been topping, she¡¯d known the face and name of every sub, but that had been several years ago at this point. People changed, as did the poption of the club, but she knew a handful of other members well enough to know their names and say hello. How many of those acquaintances were watching her now? Were they shocked to see her so delicately bound and being led by a leash? She and Grif were walking slowly¡ªnecessary given her limited vision and bare feet. The outdoor spaces of the club were one of the reasons Las Palmas didn¡¯t have a ¡°stiletto or bare feet¡± rule for submissives, which was rtivelymon in other clubs. Each step caused the chains to click and jangle together in a delicate symphony. And with every breath, the chain he¡¯d wrapped around her pulled just tight enough against her clit to make her aware of it, but not tight enough to be painful¡ªwhich she would have weed¡ªor loose enough to be ignored. They finally settled down in the courtyard of the Sub Rosa Court, so named for the wild desert roses that climbed the support posts and created a canopy overhead, woven in and out of the perg-like beams that provided partial covering to the courtyard. Though they had very little scent, she caught glimpses of the small, pale flowers and from that knew where they were. Grif¡¯s hands at her waist guided her to turn. When he pushed down, indicating she should sit, she instinctively reached for his shoulders to steady herself. She reached up and the chains attached to her cuffs pulled taught, jerking on the other chains wrapped around her body. She yelped and wobbled, the ball gag dropping from her mouth. For a terrible moment, she thought she would fall over. Her legs were free, but if she fell she wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d be able to catch herself with her hobbled arms. Grif was there, one arming around her back, pulling her against his chest. ¡°I¡¯ve got you, I¡¯ve got you,¡± he murmured. ¡°I forgot.¡± She let her temple rest against his jaw. ¡°About the wrist chains?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Did you hurt yourself?¡± ¡°No. Well, not in a bad way, Master.¡± Both the plug and nipple cages had jerked when she reached out. Her right nipple was throbbing just enough to make her hate the stupid cages anew. His lips fluttered against her cheek. ¡°I wish I had the words to tell you how hearing that makes me feel.¡± ¡°When I call you Master?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± There was a reason she hadn¡¯t done it before. A reason that no longer seemed important. ¡°Ready to sit, Minx?¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Grif eased her away from his body, once more holding her hips. She grabbed his forearms and blindly lowered herself. It was a good thing he was holding her, because she sank down further than she¡¯d anticipated. Her butt came to rest on a low stool, not a chair. ¡°Spread your legs and slide your feet back. I want your ankles on either side of the footstool.¡± It took a moment¡ªand his help¡ªbefore she was in position. Her knees were spread, legs folded up almost as if she were crouching¡ªknees and ankles bent, her toes on the gstone of the terrace. Grif¡¯s hands slid under all that chain, his wide palm stroking her stomach. She had a brief moment of self-consciousness. Sitting like this was going to give her a little stomach pooch. She probably looked unattractive, and she should always do her best to be visually pleasing. Davina frowned, the thought jarring, twin spikes of self-loathing and anxiety piercing her serenity. She shook it off. This was Grif. He¡¯d seen her, touched her, every way there was. He knew her body as well as she did, in some ways maybe even better. He knew that no one could sit like this and not have a roll or two somewhere. So why was she all of a sudden worried and self-conscious? Chains shifted, and she felt tugs at her throat and nipples. ¡°I¡¯m switching things up a little. Now that you¡¯re sitting, I want to add to the bondage.¡± His hand followed the line of her leg down to her right foot. He tapped her instep. ¡°Up.¡± Shifting her weight she managed to raise her knee enough to lift her right foot off the ground. Grif looped chain around her big toe, fastening it back on itself. ¡°Toe tie?¡± she asked softly. ¡°Connected to the nipple cages.¡± He repeated the process on the other side. Minus the sensation of having something around each big toe, she didn¡¯t feel any new or additional tension. As long as she didn¡¯t move, she¡¯d be fine. It was only then that she realized her seated position meant he had limited ess to her pussy and ass. When they¡¯d started this scene, and she¡¯d seen the chair, one of her first thoughts had been hoping she wouldn¡¯t be sitting on it. ¡°Let¡¯s take this off for a while.¡± Grif removed the blindfold portions of the headpiece, while leaving the chain circlet around her head. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision, then nced around. This was considered the quietest of the courtyards, with only a small ¡°stage¡± area, and plenty of intimate seating arrangements tucked amid winding paths and lovely desertndscaping. She sat on a cube-shaped footstool covered with natural canvas, facing an expensive outdoor armchair of dark wood, with cushions made of the same material as the footstool. She looked down at herself, taking in the way the chain glinted in the illumination from artistically cedndscape lighting and the remnants of dusk that filtered through the roses. Though this bondage was physically less restrictive than a rope harness or dress, it was emotionally heavier. Perhaps it was because unlike rope, this required more of her¡ªshe had to stay still and calm without the binding pressure of silky nylon hugging her tight. Anyone who¡¯d ever used a weighted nket knew why that was important. Or perhaps it was the almost archaic nature of the chain that gave it such emotional weight. She¡¯d jokinglypared herself to the women on the covers of 1970¡¯s sci-fi novels, but theparison was apt. She looked more like a fantasy ve girl or concubine, either about to be sold to the highest bidder or put on disy by her master. You¡¯re worried about how you look. You¡¯re calling him Master. This is bad. Those intrusive thoughts were like tendrils of India ink spreading across the calm, white canvas of her serenity. Davina shifted uneasily, listening to the chain clink as she did. Then Grif was there, a hand on her head, fingers trailing across her cheek to her lips, and the voice went quiet, the cool, calm white of her serenity falling over her mentalndscape once more. He scooted between her knees and the edge of the chair and took a seat, perched forward so that his knees were between hers, forcing her legs open wider. Davina bit the side of her tongue, the little re of pain helping her control the surge of arousal his simple movement had caused. Grif braced his elbows on his knees. That brought his head and shoulders forward, until he was close enough that if she tipped her head up and stretched, she could kiss him. She wanted to kiss him. If this had beenst weekend, she would have simply done it. ¡°I like this.¡± His voice was low and so sexy as he reached out and touched first her cor, then the circlet around her head. ¡°You look like¡­¡± ¡°A ve woman on the cover of an old fantasy novel?¡± He grinned. ¡°Yea, a bit like that. But this is sort of like a crown, so maybe more of a captured princess. Does that make me the barbarian conqueror?¡± ¡°Princess¡­¡± She was hardly the first submissive to ever be called princess, but it was the first time Grif had ever called her that. ¡°If I¡¯m the barbarian, then I¡¯ll feel a little bit better about what I¡¯m about to do.¡± Grif pushed to his feet. Davina had to lean back or risk having the hard bulge of his cock smack her in the face. The movement pulled on her nipples, and the chain on her pussy pulled tight. She couldn¡¯t see his face, even if she tipped her head all the way back, so she didn¡¯t try. Instead she watched his hands, those wonderful fingers that had touched her so many times, as he carefully lowered the zipper of his jeans. When his fly was undone, Grif carefully reached one hand into the fabric, grasping his cock as he awkwardly shoved at his pants with his free hand. ¡°May I help, Master?¡± ¡°If you can reach. Don¡¯t hurt yourself.¡± Davina managed to reach out far enough to curl her fingers into the pockets. While he held his cock, she inched his pants down his thighs. When she saw his cock, she all but licked her lips. He was as hard as she¡¯d ever seen him, and wet with pre. If he¡¯d been wearing light colored cks¡ªanything with thinner fabric¡ªthere would have been a wet spot. She¡¯d seen the hard bulge of his cock early in the scene, had enjoyed knowing how affected he was. This was something different¡ªa sort of visceral pleasure far deeper than mere enjoyment. The result of knowing she could elicit that sort of involuntary response from her Master. His nextmand was short, simple, and powerful. ¡°Open.¡± Davina opened her mouth and Grif guided the head of his cock between her lips. It was hardly the first time she¡¯d given him head, but, like everything else, it felt different. He started to press in, filling her mouth, forcing her tongue back, her mouth to open. Grif¡¯s hand slid into her hair, still held back from her face in her braid. The other hand was around his cock as he pressed in deeper still. He took that hand away only when he was deep enough in her mouth that his index finger touched her lower lip. He tasted salty and hot, the angle making it so the head of his dick rubbed along the roof of her mouth, then down to the back of her throat. She gagged slightly, due in part to the slightly odd angle. Grif was tall enough that normally when she was sucking his cock she had to kneel on a cushion. Seated on the footstool her head was lower than it would have been if she¡¯d taken up her customary cock-sucking position. Combined with his harder-than-normal dick, it meant she was straining to fit him into her mouth, struggling to make sure her upper teeth didn¡¯t scrape the top of his dick. ¡°Lick the underside,¡± he growled. Davina obeyed, her tongue moving before her brain had time to fully process themand. It was a good thing too, because if she¡¯d thought about it too hard, she might have been embarrassed that she hadn¡¯t already been doing that. After all, she wasn¡¯t the kind of sub who needed to be ordered to do every little thing. She traced the delicate vein and narrow ridge along the bottom of his cock with the tip of her tongue. He held still to let her do it. ¡°I¡¯m going to fuck your face,¡± he growled. ¡°I¡¯m going to use you, fuck you.¡± The words were hard and wonderful. She couldn¡¯t really nod, and certainly couldn¡¯t say anything. Instead she licked his cock. That was all she managed before he started to thrust. He cupped the sides of her head, palms covering her ears, muffling the sounds of the busy club. She closed her eyes rather than try to focus on his lower abdomen. He pulled her head forward, onto his cock. She gagged, but he didn¡¯t stop, not until her nose was against his body, the scent of him¡ªmale musk and need¡ªin her nose. She swallowed around the head of his cock, an effort that made her gag, but she was rewarded with a short curse from above. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. She was blind, deaf, and mute. All she had was her sense of smell, touch, and taste. Grif drew her off his cock, moving her head while his hips stayed still. She inhaled through her nose when she could, taking two quick deep breaths before he invaded her mouth and throat once again. She felt drool pool just inside her lower lip, then slide down her chin. She swallowed around him, her throat protesting the size of the invader, even as her mind reveled in the way he was using her. Another slow withdrawal and pration. Again he thrust in deep, holding her head in ce so she had no choice but to ept him. To feel him. She inhaled noisily when he drew back. When she exhaled, it came out as a little moan. ¡°Damn it, minx,¡± he growled. The next thrust wasn¡¯t so slow and controlled. He surged into her, cock jabbing the back of her throat before quickly retreating. Now they were moving fast, her head bobbing on his cock, the chains draped around her body clinking rhythmically as he found a pace that pleased him. The chain he¡¯d ced between her pussy lips was pulling tight and rxing with each thrust. With a little start Davina realized she was close toing¡ªthe direct stimtion of the chain on her clit was going to be enough to push her over the edge. The next time he withdrew, she mumbled, ¡°May Ie?¡± around his cock. Whether he heard and understood her, or simply guessed, he responded to her question. With a short, harsh, ¡°No.¡± It was as if he¡¯d encased her pussy in ice while exposing the rest of her to hot desert sun. She was at once both wildly aroused by his denial¡ªdespite the fact that orgasm denial wasn¡¯t normally part of their practice¡ªand hyper obedient, in that the next time he thrust in the chain pressed against her clit, but she no longer felt so close to orgasm. He said no, and your body stopped your orgasm. This isn¡¯t good. This isn¡¯t who you are now. Who you worked to be. That nagging voice was only partially muted when he fucked into her mouth once more. Grif picked up the pace, and instead of an easy, if quick, rhythm, the face fucking now felt buffeted and off-pace. She was a buoy on rough seas. A sub meant to be used, and being used¡­thoughtlessly. Above her, Grif grunted. That was the only warning she got before he jammed his cock into her, so hard that it stabbed the back of her throat making her gag once more. She pressed back against his hands, and was desperately relieved when he let her withdraw far enough so that as he started to come it hit her tongue. He held her there, fingers rhythmically massaging her scalp as his cock pulsed and twitched. Some of hise leaked out of her mouth, joining the drool that coated her chin. Grif let out a long final moan, then slowly drew his cock from her mouth. She opened her eyes. He was still hard, but no longer so erect that his cock was practically touching his stomach. Grif ced a finger under her chin, forcing her mouth closed. ¡°Swallow.¡± She obeyed. His jeans were still around his knees, and he shucked them before sitting. She looked at his face, searching his expression for¡­something. He looked back at her, stern and serious, his cheeks flushed. There was no sign of pleasure or rxed satisfaction. Instead there was wonderful arrogance in the set of his shoulders¡ªit was the posture and expression of a Master. Her Master. Davina lowered her gaze, dropping it to his crotch and his softening cock. She saw his arm move, his handing into her line of sight. He reached between her spread legs. ¡°Lean back,¡± hemanded. She obeyed, bracing her hands on the sides of the stool, just behind her hips. The posture put pressure on all the chains¡ªher nipples were pulled from all sides, the even tension making sure the bars didn¡¯t stretch or rip her skin, but also entuating how much she wanted her nipples touched and yed with. She loved nipple y. It was one of the reasons she¡¯d gotten her nipples pierced, and yet the fact they were pierced had been used to instead iste and hide them. Grif spread herbia, cool night air hitting wet flesh. The chain was tight now, pulled up along the right side of her clit, the links feeling huge though she knew they were anything but. He touched her clit with a casual flick that made her jump. Then he pressed his thumb over her clit and started to rotate it in a circle, massaging it against her pelvic bone. ¡°You¡¯re going toe for me,¡± hemanded. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°Come. Now.¡± Like Pavlov¡¯s submissive, she obeyed. His thumb at her clit provided the physical stimulus she needed, while hismand gave the mental stimtion. It wasn¡¯t just the words, but the tone of his voice, the weight of the power exchange encased within those two sybles, that made her teeth clench, her muscles tight. It wasn¡¯t a slow, rxed orgasm, the kind that took a woman by surprise. She came because she¡¯d been given amand, and she would obey. She focused on the feeling of his thumb on her clit, of the cor at her throat, and she came. Davina hissed between clenched teeth, her calf muscles quaking, toes ttening and sying as she pressed her feet down hard. Grif kept going, kept rotating her clit through the peak of her orgasm, until it was almost painful. The tension broke and Davina slumped, panting. That was quickly followed by a whimper as he kept touching her now raw-feeling clit. She tried to shift back, away from his hand. ¡°Stay still,¡± he barked. ¡°I¡¯m not done ying with you.¡± Damn it. Just like that she was ready again, the difort-pain of his thumb on her highly-sensitized flesh bing the pleasure-pain of BDSM. ¡°Master, Master, may I¡ª¡± she couldn¡¯t finish, she had to bite down to stop the orgasm. ¡°Not just yet,¡± he said dismissively, as if her terrible predicament was nothing to him. She whimpered, thigh muscles twitching in response to the sharp stimtion of her clit. Her ass was clenching rhythmically around the invasive plug, making her all too aware of the fullness there. The cor was tight as she tookbored breaths. Her skin felt too hot, or the night air too cold, and within the confines of the cages her nipples were rock hard. ¡°Now, you maye.¡± ¡°I¡­I can¡¯t,¡± she stammered. She was like a rubber band drawn back so far that she would break rather than rx. ¡°You can. You will.¡± His voice got softer. ¡°Look at me, Minx.¡± She blinked her eyes open, taking a moment to focus on his face. If he would just change up how he was touching her maybe she coulde again. She should tell him that, should help him understand what she needed. But he was her Master. She had to trust him to know what she needed. What she deserved. His eyes were so very blue. ¡°You¡¯re going toe for me, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard, isn¡¯t it? Your clit is probably sensitive.¡± ¡°It is, Master.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re going toe for me anyway.¡± Davina swallowed, then whispered, ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°Look at me. Keep eye contact. Well done, Minx.¡± His thumb kept going, relentless. ¡°Come. Now.¡± Davina¡¯s world shattered with the force of her orgasm. She screamed between clenched teeth, her shoulders drawn up around her ears, trapezius muscles tight and hard. Her thighs clenched as she instinctively tried to close her legs, only to have them forcibly held open by the stool. The pleasure was pain, that pain more pleasure. It was an endless loop, a wild, deep sea of physical and mental stimtion. Her scream of pleasure became a sob of relief, that sob also a plea for him to grant her mercy, to let her rest. She wanted to grab his hand and force it away from her pussy, but she gripped the stool hard, knowing it wasn¡¯t her ce to stop her Master from using her. ¡°Well done, Minx.¡± His thumb shifted, tapping the mound at the top of her pussy gently. He raised his hand to her mouth, pressing his wet thumb between her lips, so now she tasted both of them. Still riding the tail end of the orgasm, Davina sucked him clean. ¡°I¡¯ll get us some water. Keep your legs spread,¡± hemanded. Davina closed her eyes, having no trouble obeying thatmand, since he¡¯d made sure to position her in such a way that she had no choice but to keep her pussy exposed. She watched him walk away. She should have been able to hear him walking, the faint murmur of voices from the people around them, some of whom were looking at her, but she was breathing so hard all she could hear was the sound of her own breaths. Breathe. Just breathe, and wait for your Master. Little by little she started toe down from the orgasm. And as she did, sanity returned. Get out. You need to get out of this situation. Now. Now the voice wasn¡¯t a whisper, but a desperate scream. This time when she sucked in air it wasn¡¯t from arousal, but from shock at what she¡¯d just done. At how she¡¯d been behaving. She¡¯d called him master. She¡¯d been acting like a sub, not the submissive partner. Without the muting effect of her serenity, she was horrified and embarrassed. This wasn¡¯t who she was as a BDSM yer. Some new-to-her bondage and she¡¯d lost who she¡¯d worked so hard to be. Grif returned and held a ss of water to her mouth. ¡°Sip,¡± hemanded. Davina all but snarled and jerked back. She managed to knock his hand as she did and water spilled down her chest. ¡°Careful,¡± he warned. ¡°No,¡± she snapped. Davina raised her hands, but didn¡¯t get far. She was still in bondage. Gritting her teeth against the pain toe, she jerked both arms up. The chain pulled taut around her body, her nipples¡ªthe anchor point¡ªscreaming in pain for a moment before the chain snapped. Grif reached for her but she knocked his hands away. She grabbed the chains leading from her nipples to big toes and jerked up, breaking those too. ¡°Minx, what are you doing? Are you okay?¡± Grif¡¯s brow was furrowed. Davina surged to her feet, standing awkwardly with her legs spread, one foot on either side of the stool. She stepped back, ignoring how the chains pressed and rubbed. She raised her chin. Grif looked baffled and a little miffed. He turned and set down the ss of water on the arm of the chair, then reached for her, his expression morphing to baffled concern. ¡°What¡¯s happening, Davina? You¡¯ve got to talk to me.¡± Why did she feel like crying? Davina took a deep breath. ¡°Mand.¡± For the first time ever, she used her safe word. Grif¡¯s lips parted. His shocked expression was thest thing she saw before she turned and fled. Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Grif was bouncing in ce, asionally rubbing his arms to keep from getting cold. It might have helped if he¡¯d stopped to put on a shirt. It was cold at night in the hills of Malibu, and unlike inside the club, out here in the parking lot there were no heatmps raising the ambient air temperature. After Davina had safe-worded out of the scene, he¡¯d been in shock for a minute or two before he pulled it together enough to put on his pants and race after her. They¡¯d never evene close to her needing to use a safe word, and had done things far more intense than a public blowjob. This was more than that and you know it. You weren¡¯t just her top, you were her Master. She called you Master. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. And it felt so, so good. He hadn¡¯t seen which way she went when she exited the Sub Rosa Court, so had guessed and gone for the Den. She hadn¡¯t been there, and her bag hadn¡¯t been in her locker. That was his fault for asking someone to move it. That was when he should have put on a shirt, but instead he raced for the Subs¡¯ Garden, practically skidding to a halt at the gate. Las Palmas may not have many rules for behavior inside the club, but one of them was that Doms, Masters, and Owners were absolutely forbidden from entering the subs¡¯ private space. He¡¯d waited, hoping a sub would be headed in that he could give a message to. When no one came by, he¡¯d instead gone to use the inte system to page Davina. Normally that was used to summon subs to a particr y space once their top was ready. He¡¯d asked for Davina to meet him at the gate, then raced back so he¡¯d be ready and waiting when she got there. Half an hourter, she hadn¡¯t appeared. He¡¯d been seriously considering saying fuck it to the rules and busting in when Gabri, Master Leo¡¯s submissive, arrived at the gate. He¡¯d exined that he needed to see her, that he was worried about her, and begged the other woman to tell Davina he was waiting. Gabri returned fifteen minutester, a line between her brows, and told him Davina was fine, and would not being out. That had knocked him back a step, emotionally if not physically, which had led to his current state¡ª standing bare chested and bare foot in a gravel parking lot at three in the morning, hoping the woman he loved woulde out soon. There that phrase was again. The woman he loved. The woman he needed to make sure was okay. The woman he would walk across fire for if she only asked it. He¡¯d hurt her. And he didn¡¯t know how. She¡¯d used her safe word and walked away, as was her right, but he would be lying to himself if he didn¡¯t acknowledge that a part of him was angry¡ªwith her for notmunicating. With himself for not sensing that she was at her breaking point. Had he been too rough when he fucked her mouth? They¡¯d done a few double pration scenes, and he¡¯d even fucked her mouth while she was in suspension bondage, which was far more stressful. Maybe one of the chains had been cutting into her and he hadn¡¯t noticed, but she was normally so good about telling him if there was an issue like that. Then again, normally she didn¡¯t call him Master. He closed his eyes and willed his dick to stay calm. It was difficult, given how fresh the memory of the way she looked at him was. The way she¡¯d said Master as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Gravel crunched, and he opened his eyes. Davina. She was in street clothes¡ªexpensive looking jeans, boots that made her almost as tall as him, a thin white shirt and a sweater-jacket belted at the waist. Her hair was loose, pulled forward over one shoulder. She carried a designer bag in the crook of her arm, and had her phone in her other hand. She was looking at the screen. That was a good thing, because she didn¡¯t notice him until she was two meters away, close enough that he could see her face in the lightsing from the trunks of the titr palm trees, each of which was lit by abination of rope lights and upward facingndscape lights that illuminated the underside of the fronds high above. Davina yelped when she looked up and saw him standing at the back of her car. ¡°Jesus, Grif. What are you doing?¡± She sounded so normal, that for a moment he was taken aback. ¡°Uh, waiting for you.¡± She tossed her hair off her shoulder. ¡°No need. I¡¯m fine. You must be freezing. Go back inside.¡± ¡°Davina, we need to talk.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not.¡± She dug in her bag for her car keys. ¡°Davina, we¡¯re better than this.¡± That stopped her. ¡°Better than this?¡± ¡°Than pretending that scene didn¡¯t go sideways.¡± Her mouth worked and she looked away. More light fell on her face, and now he could see that her eyes were red-rimmed. She¡¯d been crying. He¡¯d made her cry. Grif reached for her. Davina held her hands up, as if warding him off. His heart broke. Was she afraid of him now? Grif shoved his hands into his pockets and took several steps back, giving her a clear path to her car. If she was scared, thest thing he wanted to do was to make her think he was forcing her to stay. As much as he might want to throw himself bodily onto the hood of her Lexus and force her to discuss this, he wouldn¡¯t do that. ¡°Grif, I get it, and you¡¯re probably right, we need to talk about it, but right now I just¡­can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Can you tell me what¡­what I did wrong?¡± He ran a hand through his hair. ¡°Thest thing I would ever want to do is hurt you. I¡ª¡± love you. He forced his mouth to stop moving, but there were so many things he wanted to say. I think about you when I¡¯m not with you. I wonder if you¡¯re with someone else. If you have a family. If some other man gets to hold you close as you sleep at night. ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. I know this is going to sound like a line, but it¡¯s me. What we did¡­it brought up some stuff for me. From my past.¡± That wasn¡¯t what he¡¯d expected. ¡°From your past? What do you mean? We¡¯ve talked about all our past BDSM rtionships.¡± That was part of the strong foundation they¡¯d built this rtionship on. ¡°I told you about the rtionships that mattered.¡± ¡°Clearly not, if something in your past made you safe word out of a mild scene.¡± ¡°Mild? That wasn¡¯t mild!¡± Even in the muted light he could see spots of color on her face. ¡°I was worried about how I looked.¡± This conversation was making less and less sense to him. ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Grif, I can¡¯t do this right now.¡± Davina stomped past him, and it took everything he had not to reach out and stop her. To hug her and beg her to tell him everything. ¡°You don¡¯t know every detail of my past. So what? We don¡¯t even know each other¡¯sst names.¡± She opened the door and tossed her bag into the passenger seat. ¡°Don¡¯t walk away, Davina.¡± ¡°I¡¯m walking away from tonight. If you want to keep going next time we¡¯re both scheduled to be here, that¡¯s¡­I¡¯d like that. But not like tonight.¡± She slid into the car and a momentter it started up. Grif watched, shivering, as she backed out of the parking spot, then rocketed out of the lot, driving faster than was advisable. He stayed there for a long time, hoping she¡¯de back. Chapter 8 Chapter 8 After less than four hours of sleep, and enough cups of coffee to make himself feel vaguely ill, Grif¡¯s decision-making capabilities were low enough that something he objectively knew was a terrible idea now sounded reasonable. He was going to text Davina. They¡¯d exchanged numbers eighteen months ago, just after he and Davina had made their rtionship official in the eyes of Las Palmas. They hadn¡¯t nned on exchanging numbers¡ªa phone number was a very personal and easy to investigate piece of information, but then he¡¯d beente to a nned weekend with her. He¡¯d already been runningte, having been stuck in a prep meeting for what had ended up being a sessful investor pitch. The meeting had run long, then he hit traffic on PCH, so he¡¯d called the club and asked that they let Davina know he was twenty minutes out. Five minutes after that, he¡¯d been rear ended by a British tourist who¡¯d been trying to do the scenic drive along the coast. In the crash his cell phone had slid under the passenger seat and he hadn¡¯t been able to find it. By the time he finished exchanging information with the guy who hit him, talking to the CHP, and checked that his car was drivable if rather sad looking, he¡¯d been almost two hourste to meet Davina. When he hadn¡¯t arrived after the stated twenty minutes, she¡¯d panicked, thinking he¡¯d been in an ident¡ªwhich he had. Given that he hadn¡¯t called the club, she assumed it was a serious ident, and had been calling hospitals, and demanding the club pull strings with the CHP for information. When he¡¯d walked in, she¡¯d reamed him up one side and down the other for several hours, and then they¡¯d switched up the scene so he could sheepishly ept a flogging as an apology gesture for worrying her. At the end of the weekend, she¡¯d tucked a small piece of folded paper into an interior pocket of the gym bag he always carried. ¡°For emergencies only. It¡¯s my cell phone number,¡± she¡¯d said. He¡¯d quickly written out his own and given it to her, and then watched her tuck it away. In all that time since then, all the nights he¡¯d wanted to call her just to hear her voice, or use her cell phone number to search online and learn more about her, he¡¯d resisted. That number was for emergencies, and neither his curiosity nor falling in love with her were emergencies. But yesterday¡­yesterday had been an emergency. If the sick feeling in his stomach was any indication, their rtionship was still in a state of emergency, and he wasn¡¯t going to wait until next weekend to talk to her about it. The urge to take care of her, to make sure she was safe and happy, was overpowering. That was a huge part of what being a top was about¡ªcaring for the submissive partner. And she was his. His submissive. His Davina. Cursing, he leaned forward, elbows on the kitchen counter in his loft, phone in one hand, that little piece of paper in the other. He typed in the number andposed a text message. Davina, I need to know you¡¯re okay. - Grif Was that too formal? Should he put in an emoji? No, that would be stupid. There were a thousand other things he wanted to say. He started typing. Let me take care of you. That¡¯s my favorite part¡ªthe aftercare, when you¡¯re soft and limp in my arms. I hate how much I loved yesterday, since clearly it hurt you. We¡¯ll never y like that again, just remember you¡¯re still mine. Always mine. Grif started frantically deleting everything he¡¯d just typed, going back to the original Davina, I need to know you¡¯re okay. - Grif Heart in his throat, he hit send. He¡¯d done it. He¡¯d used the emergency number. Letting the phone tter onto the counter of his small kitchen, he dumped the remaining coffee into the sink and instead put the kettle on for tea. While it was boiling, he opened the fridge door, stared at what was inside, and settled on a prepared sd, which he ate standing over the sink with his fingers. There was a reason he lived alone. His dislike for bothering to use a fork when he¡¯d only have to turn around and wash it was one of them. The fact that most of his warehouse loft was taken up with two long rows of tables and several shelving units full of tiny, expensive bits ofputer hardware. He set a timer for the tea to make sure he didn¡¯t oversteep the leaves and looked around for something else to do. It was Saturday afternoon, and he hadn¡¯t nned to be home. He was supposed to be at Las Palmas with Davina, which meant for once he didn¡¯t know exactly what he was supposed to be doing. Normally his days were carefully organized into blocks of time, designed to maximize his productivity, while also allowing him the mental down time necessary to be creative in his development of new tech. He looked back at the refrigerator. Maybe he should clean it out. Did he have to unplug it to do that? Maybe best to leave that to his cleaningdy. He could always work out in the small home gym in the corner. No, working out was thinking time. He needed a distraction. He was trying not to pick up his phone, whichy on the counter, taunting him. Mug of tea in hand, he wandered over to one of several workbenches, and grabbed therge tablets he¡¯d left there, propped up on a cardboard box of parts. He started tapping the screen. He had a few personal projects he could mess around with today, and¡ª His phone beeped. Grif damn near spilled tea onto a half-assembled motherboard in his rush to get back to the kitchen and his phone. If this was a spam message or his mother, he was going to throw the phone against the wall. So this is an emergency? Davina. She¡¯d texted him back. That was a start. He set his tea down, and hunched over his phone. He knew exactly what he wanted to say this time. Yes, it is. I didn¡¯t get to take care of you after. A brief pause, then another ping. Get to? Grif hopped up to sit on the counter, elbows braced on his thighs as he cradled the phone. He had no idea what the tone of her words was, and because he didn¡¯t know that, he didn¡¯t know how to interpret her message. Was she deflecting? Angry he¡¯d texted her? Surprised? Happy? Before he could figure out how to reply, his phone pinged again. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine. Two words that technically answered his question, but meant absolutely nothing. Fuck this conversation. Grif tapped the upper corner of the screen, then hit the little video icon. His own face appeared as the video call clicked on and started to ring. He realized this was not a good angle¡ªshe would be looking up his nose¡ªand hopped off the counter. It rang again. He was nervous. This was a risky move, and broke many of the limits they had on their rtionship. But he was also nervous-excited, the same sort of jitters he got on a first date. Ring. How many had that been? Not that he¡¯d been on a first date since he¡¯d been bonded to her, but he remembered the feeling enough to identify it now. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. His phone chimed as she answered. A surge of relief and happiness rushed through him in that split second between her answering the call and her face appearing on the little phone screen. The instant he saw her¡ªdark hair, full lips, golden brown eyes¡ªthe relief morphed into desire. And happiness into something he couldn¡¯t name¡ªa feeling that was both sweet and dark, possessive and proud. They looked at one another in silence for a moment, and then Davina exhaled, her lips parting enough to expose the soft, damp skin of her inner lip. Grif¡¯s cock twitched. ¡°Davina.¡± ¡°Grif.¡± He walked over to his bed and sat on the side. ¡°I¡¯m d you answered.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised I answered. We were only supposed to call each other if it¡¯s an emergency.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think what happened¡ªhow we left it¡ªis an emergency?¡± She looked to the side, giving him a view of her elegant cheekbone. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, and she was wearing a dark lipstick¡ªeither maroon or aubergine, he couldn¡¯t quite tell. She looked just different enough from how she normally appeared that he was highly aware of the fact that by calling her, he¡¯d broken a barrier, intruding into her life outside the club. When she looked back at him, the corners of her eyes were pinched up in a frown, but that melted into a smile before she said, ¡°And here I thought you went shirtless at Las Palmas for my benefit, but it appears you don¡¯t own a shirt.¡± He looked down at himself, d only in PJ pants. ¡°I think I own a shirt. Maybe.¡± She chuckled, but it faded quickly. Heavy silence fell. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Davina,¡± he said softly. ¡°Thest thing I ever wanted was to hurt you. To push you to the point that you had to use your safe word.¡± She exhaled betweenpressed lips. He saw her throat work, and waited to see if she would respond. When she didn¡¯t, he kept going. ¡°I wish I could say I¡¯d never do it again, but I don¡¯t understand why you safe-worded out.¡± ¡°Does it matter? We did our part of the game. It¡¯s done. Let¡¯s just go back to the way it was before.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not done. We will talk about this, because that¡¯s what we do. Wemunicate with each other.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t use your Dom voice on me.¡± He ground his teeth. ¡°I¡¯m not using a Dom voice. I¡¯m just talking.¡± ¡°Grif, I don¡¯t want to talk about this.¡± His frustration red, bright and hot as a freshly lit match. ¡°What the fuck, Davina? This isn¡¯t like you. Running away, refusing to talk to me.¡± ¡°Not like me? So you know what I¡¯m like. Who I am.¡± Her nostrils were red, her eyes narrowed in anger. The hand not holding the phone clenched so hard on the mattress that his knuckles creaked. ¡°I¡¯ve been your partner for two years. Yea, I do.¡± Her face rxed. No, that wasn¡¯t the right way to describe it. Her face seemed to crumple, her anger reced by sadness. ¡°I wish that was true, because if you did, then you¡¯d know why I ran.¡± Now they were getting somewhere. ¡°Will you tell me?¡± The picture whirled for a moment as she got up. He got only glimpses of a floor to ceiling window, white walls, as she walked while holding the phone. She was looking at where she was going, not at him. ¡°We already broke one of the rules. Given that, I want to have this conversation in person.¡± ¡°You mean wait until this weekend at Las Palmas.¡± Damn it. ¡°No. Now. Meet me at the Getty Center in an hour.¡± Davina nced once at the camera, then the connection ended. He was going to see her. Outside of the club. Grif grinned and leapt up, looking for a shirt. He was tempted not to wear one, but was pretty sure they wouldn¡¯t let him onto the tram that took museum visitors from the Getty parking lot up to LA¡¯s most famous museum without a top. An hour wasn¡¯t much time for him to get from his ce in Los Feliz to the Westside, but he still tried on three shirts before settling on a blue dress shirt with the cor open and the sleeves rolled up, along with jeans and his favorite boots. Shoving his things into his pockets, Grif raced out the door. Chapter 9 Chapter 9 She was already regretting this. It had been a snap decision to meet Grif in person. Seeing him, and being with him, at Las Palmas was part of the structure of her life. That structure had fallen apart when she¡¯d left the clubst night/early this morning. At loose ends on an unexpectedly free Saturday she¡¯d gotten up early, gone for a run, then done something she rarely did. She¡¯d taken a nap. After waking up from a mid-morning slumber she¡¯d felt disconnected and confused, as if she was Rip Van Winkle sleeping for 100 years instead of only an hour. She¡¯d just finished showering and getting dressed in preparation to go out and maybe do some retail therapy, followed by lunch with any friends she could find who didn¡¯t already have ns, when Grif had texted. And now here she was, standing in the travertine courtyard of the Getty Center. Clumps of tourists walked around wearing headphones or following guides. Los Angelenos were easy to identify because many of them had nkets, pic baskets, or evenptop bags, and were nning to make use of the museum grounds to while away the afternoon or people-watch while writing their screeny. She adjusted her bag on the crook of her arm and resisted the urge to brush at her dress. Because she¡¯d nned on maybe going out to lunch, instead of an expensive yet casual look¡ªa staple in LA¡ª of jeans and a $500 designer t-shirt, she¡¯d put on a sheath dress with an asymmetrical cor and T- strap heels. What would Grif think of her, dressed like this? What did it matter? That man had seen her naked¡ªmore than naked, he¡¯d been inside her¡ªso why was she nervous about how she looked? Damn it, this was the same thing that had happened at the club, and one of the reasons she¡¯d safe worded out. ¡°Davina.¡± She froze at the sound of her name, a momentary stillness she forced herself to break by turning just her head to look in the direction the voice hade from. Grif looked much the same as he did at the club¡ªhandsome and almost wholesome, if not for the way one corner of his mouth curled up in a little devilish half smile. Sunlight kissed his hair, bringing out hints of red and bronze. He wore jeans and a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His forearms were lightly tanned but still freckled, and roped with muscle. His dress shirt clung to the muscles of his upper arms just enough to let the viewer know that there would be an impressive anatomical disy when he stripped, but not so tight as to look cheap or vulgar. The man had very sexy arms. He was walking a bit faster than was casual¡ªa purposeful, determined stride. Some insane part of her wanted to do something fun or dramatic¡ªturn on her heel, cock a hip to the side and wink, or hike up her skirt and jump into his arms when he was close enough. She forced herself to remain still, moving only her head to track his movement as he approached her, finally stopping before her, only a few feet of space separating them. Grif¡¯s gaze stayed focused on her face, and the fact that he didn¡¯t look her up and down, assessing her outfit and making assumptions because of it, made her feel better. ¡°Thank you for meeting me,¡± he said softly. She¡¯d been the one to issue the invitation, but she nodded in agreement with his statement. Now he looked away from her, around the courtyard. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been here, but I remember there being some good ces to talk. Balconies and stuff, or the restaurant.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s walk.¡± She started for the South Pavilion, realizing a moment toote that she hadn¡¯t asked, but commanded, and that she¡¯d then started moving before waiting to see if he agreed. This was real Davina¡ªa woman who had learned to be aggressive, dictatorial, and ¡°bitchy¡±, though if she¡¯d been a man, she would have simply been called a good leader. Grif¡¯s long legs closed the distance her brief head start had created in a matter of strides. ¡°Lead the way,¡± he said amiably. Davina¡¯s shoulders rxed. The architectural marvel of the Getty Centerplex was as much a piece of art as the works housed in its galleries. Multiple terraces took advantage of the location atop the hills of Westwood, looking over the city of angels. Part of the upper level of the South Pavilion was closed while they installed a new exhibit, but there was a small terrace off of it that would most likely be deserted since no one would have a reason to go there. They walked inpanionable silence, weaving around clumps of people as they navigated the courtyard and then followed the rush of people headed into the za level exhibit of the building. Whenever they came to a doorway, Grif would pull ahead and hold it open for her. As they walked, the crowds around them thinned. They exited a staircase onto therge upper-level terrace. There were fewer than a dozen people out here, and all of them leaning on the railings, looking at the view. No one stopped to look at them. No one watched as they took a set of exterior stairs back down to the za level terrace opposite the courtyard entrance. As she¡¯d suspected, it was deserted. The tension that had released earlier had slowly returned, until she was fighting the urge to roll her shoulders to try to loosen the tight muscles. Grif walked to the rail-topped terrace wall and leaned against it. They were at the outer edge of the Getty Center, overlooking the urban sprawl of Los Angeles, so though they were on the first floor of the building, they were high above the city, the hill falling away from the base of the building. Grif¡¯s jeans molded to his ass in all the right ways. Davina took a moment to appreciate the view¡ªwell, both views¡ªthen walked up beside him. She set her purse on the ground at her feet¡ªsomewhere her personal shopper Jade was screaming at the way she was treating a $34,000 bag¡ªand ced her hands on the rail. In her peripheral vision, she saw Grif turn his head to look at her. ¡°This is new territory for us.¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been doing a lot of new things.¡± The words were careful, almost hesitant. Davina made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat. ¡°Enough of this. Let¡¯s speak inly.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Grif pushed up and turned to face her, one hip on the rail, his arms crossed over his chest. ¡°What the hell, Davina?¡± She stayed as she was, looking out over the golden brown and green hills. ¡°That kind of y, it pushes some old buttons for me.¡± ¡°Two things. First, why didn¡¯t you tell me? Second, what buttons?¡± She¡¯d asked him to be direct, and he was. Good. This is what they needed. No matter how painful it might be for her. ¡°I will answer the second question first. I¡­have trouble¡­with that sort of delicate submission.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means.¡± She sighed, resisted the urge to fidget. ¡°The jewelry, the¡­chains¡­ They aren¡¯t real bondage. They aren¡¯t strong enough to actually hold a person.¡± ¡°Yes, that was kind of the point.¡± ¡°That means I needed to hold still, stay focused on being submissive.¡± The words hung there. His gaze was like a physical pressure on her left side. ¡°I guess the simplest way to say it is that, with ropes and impact y, it¡¯s physical. What we didst night was more mental.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s oversimplified, but I see what you¡¯re getting at.¡± ¡°It is oversimplified, so now I¡¯ll answer your first question.¡± She gathered her courage and turned to face him. ¡°The answer to that question is also the answer to the question of why I became a Domme.¡± Grif was frowning, but watching her with the sort of dedicated concentration that let her know she had every ounce of his attention. ¡°Before I was a Domme, before I joined Las Palmas, I was a sub.¡± ¡°You started as a submissive, went Domme, and then went back?¡± he rified. ¡°Yes, and no. I mean I was a sub, a lifestyle sub. Maybe even¡­maybe even so dedicated I could be called a ve, though we didn¡¯t use that term.¡± ¡°You?¡± He blurted out the word, then winced. ¡°Sorry, sorry. You just surprised me.¡± Davina let out a littleugh. ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. Your reaction actually makes me feel better.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to have to exin that.¡± Grif smiled a little. ¡°Actually you¡¯re going to have to just keep exining until I get it.¡± ¡°When I was younger I was very career focused and ambitious. I had trouble in rtionships, because I had a hard time being open¡ªI sort of viewed them as potential business partnership opportunities¡ª and, most of the time, I didn¡¯t make it past the third date.¡± Grif nodded encouragingly. ¡°I started to get worried about the situation. I wanted a rtionship, I just couldn¡¯t figure out how to get one, and if I did, would I drive him away. My therapist suggest finding a venue for meeting people where I would be put in a role that required me to be open. She suggested something like a surfing or cooking ss, since being a student means being open to learning. Maybe I¡¯d meet someone there, who would see me trying and failing at something as I learned rather than me walking into a coffee shop ready for battle.¡± She gestured at her dress and heels. Grif¡¯s gaze slid down her body, then back up. ¡°That dress is very nice, and totally inappropriate for the battlefield.¡± Davina chuckled. ¡°Boardroom battlefield.¡± It felt good to have him banter with her. ¡°Even so, a sword would reallyplete the ensemble. If you need one, I know a guy.¡± This time when sheughed it came from her belly, a burst of genuine amusement. ¡°It might make your meetings more interesting,¡± he mused. ¡°I¡¯m sure it would.¡± Silence descended, but this time it waspanionable. There was more she needed to say, but it felt so good to be normal with him¡ªand this banter was their normal¡ªthat she was loath to break the silence. Grif shifted a little closer to her, and turned his back to the stunning view. He held out his arm, offering her the space at his side. A lot of times he did this at the end of a scene, before they fully transitioned to aftercare. He¡¯d hold out his arm, and she¡¯d fit herself against him, his strong arm pulling her tight against his side in a half hug. Then he¡¯d kiss her forehead, murmur something to make herugh, and they¡¯d head to whatever room they were using for aftercare. Another familiar gesture and feeling in an unfamiliar ce, and on a day that had been unsettling since the time she woke up. Davina slid into his embrace with desperate relief, exhaling against his cor. His arm came around her the way it always did. If she closed her eyes¡ªand ignored the thin fabric of his shirt separating her cheek from his shoulder¡ªshe could imagine they were at Las Palmas, that nothing had changed. ¡°Tell me the rest,¡± Grif said lowly. ¡°You were going to take a ss to try and meet people.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what my therapist said I should do. Instead I decided to get into BDSM.¡± ¡°Did you know about it before then?¡± ¡°A bit, just from pop culture, fiction books. But I did my research, read guides and books about real life BDSM. I went to seminars, and finally some munches. That¡¯s where I met Vance.¡± ¡°He sounds like a dick,¡± Grif growled. ¡°I haven¡¯t said anything about him.¡± ¡°His name is dick-ish.¡± ¡°Right. That makes perfect sense,¡± she teased. Grif squeezed her. ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to interrupt. I just already hate this fucker.¡± Why did she feel like smiling and crying simultaneously? ¡°Vance and I started scening together regrly. When I was subbing it was¡­so freeing. I¡¯d read about that, and knew I needed some sort of outlet, since I¡¯m such a controlled person the rest of the time, but actually experiencing it was¡­it was truly life-changing.¡± ¡°What kind of scenes were you doing? What was his theory of submission?¡± Grif demanded. ¡°Sounds like you know where this is going.¡± ¡°Just a suspicion. I want to hear it from you.¡± It was easier to talk about this when she couldn¡¯t see his face, when she was resting against the solid strength of his body. ¡°He was a rules and manners Dom. We used high protocol, and I ended every sentence with ¡®Sir¡¯ or ¡®Master.¡¯¡± She closed her eyes to mitigate the disconnect between her physical location and her words. ¡°We didn¡¯t use many toys, or anything like that. We would rent hotel rooms, so there wasn¡¯t equipment besides portable things. Lots of spankings, and punishment was being made to stand in the corner with nipple weights, or a plug with chili oil on it. If I moved or cried, time would be added to my punishment. It meant that I had to find my subspace to get through a punishment and I¡­¡± This was the hardest part. Grif must have realized that, because he kissed her head, keeping his lips pressed against her forehead for several seconds. ¡°I liked it. I would bliss out when I was with him. I would find subspace and for a while nothing would matter.¡± ¡°It sounds like it was a good rtionship,¡± Grif sounded somewhat resigned. ¡°It was, at first. The first few months being with Vance made me more focused when I wasn¡¯t with him. I was incredibly professionally sessful during that time.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°If we¡¯d stayed there, kept the rtionship as it was, it would have been perfect. Maybe I would still be with him.¡± ¡°It sounds like something bad is about to happen in this story, but I¡¯m not sad that you¡¯re not with him.¡± Grif squeezed her again. Her throat was tight with emotion, and she had to take a moment to swallow past those feelings before she could go on. ¡°Then we signed a new contract. Instead of the D/s just being in the bedroom, it was full time. Not exactly twenty-four seven, since we weren¡¯t living together, but every morning he would text me to tell me if I was allowed to wear panties that day.¡± She burrowed a little closer to Grif. He smelled so good¡ªwarm and familiar, safe but exciting. ¡°It was the sort of stuff that sounded sexy, until I actually had to live it. I had twenty minutes to respond to a text. It didn¡¯t matter if I was in a meeting or asleep. I had twenty minutes to respond, or I¡¯d be punished. At first I¡¯d just go to the bathroom or something to reply.¡± Davina made a frustrated noise. ¡°I¡¯m telling this wrong.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t really what happened that made it bad, but how I felt. Instead ofpartmentalizing, and focusing 100% on the D/s when I was with him, and 100% on work at work, everything was all mixed up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s hard,¡± Grif said softly. ¡°But the part that¡­the part that made me stop subbing was how I started to lose confidence in myself.¡± ¡°What?¡± Grif pulled away just enough to look at her. ¡°D/s y should make you feel more secure, more centered and confident.¡± ¡°And it had, at the beginning. Then I started worrying about things like if I looked good, was he happy with me. Every word I said was more about being submissive and pleasing him than it was about honest and openmunication.¡± ¡°And he didn¡¯t notice.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. We were never romantically involved, we had no rtionship outside D/s, so we had no friendship or non-sexual rtionship to fall back on.¡± ¡°So you didn¡¯t talk.¡± ¡°No. Sometimes we¡¯d spend a whole weekend together, and I wouldn¡¯t say more than 10 words. But I¡¯d be in subspace the whole time. That¡¯s how I did it. I had gotten so submissive when I was with him that if he told me to go kneel in the corner Ipletely blissed out.¡± ¡°Woah,¡± Grif let out a breath. ¡°I have to confess something, after you¡¯re done.¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°There isn¡¯t really much more to tell. I broke off the rtionship when I realized I had be so passive in my own life that my work was suffering. Colleagues thought I was sick because I was so uncharacteristically quiet, and had lost weight.¡± ¡°What made you break it off? I mean what was the final straw?¡± ¡°Actually, I went to see my gynecologist for a regr check-up, and she took one look at me, and ordered up bloodwork. I was severely anemic, dehydrated, etcetera. It had gotten to the point that I would eat hardly anything when I was with Vance, and even when I wasn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t go out to the grocery store, or to get food, in case I missed a call from him. I was only eating once a day, at lunch, and only then because my assistant would go get the food and put it in front of me.¡± ¡°What the fuck do you mean you wouldn¡¯t eat when you were with him? He didn¡¯t feed you?¡± ¡°No. Looking back on it, I¡¯m not sure if it was a power move¡ªto see if I was submissive enough to stay quiet, even if I was hungry and thirsty¡ªor if he just forgot about me. Sometimes I felt like a piece of art, there to be asionally admired, but not used or touched.¡± ¡°And you were in subspace when he did that?¡± ¡°Yes. Well, mostly. How I was then, that is what I call subspace. That¡¯s why I made up the term ¡®my serenity¡¯ to describe subspace that isn¡¯t totally self destructive.¡± ¡°And after you got out of that rtionship you, understandably, didn¡¯t want to sub, so you became a Domme?¡± ¡°I knew I needed D/s in my life, but I was unwilling to give up control. That¡¯s why I applied to Las Palmas as a switch.¡± He deserved to hear the next part directly. Davina straightened away from him, then positioned herself in front of him. Grif reached out for her, cing his hands on her hips, then apparently thought better of it and ced his hands on the railing. It almost looked like he physically had to hold himself back from touching her. ¡°I never told you this, but our friendship, and being y partners, it healed me in a lot of ways. I never thought I¡¯d want to submit again, but watching how you were with your subs, it made me realize that I could sub without losing myself the way I had with Vance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d.¡± His gaze was soft and warm. ¡°You mean¡­you mean a lot to me.¡± Well that was a loaded statement if she¡¯d ever heard one. Davina raised one eyebrow. Grif shrugged and looked away. ¡°So I¡¯m guessing,¡± he said, ¡°that the scenest night with just the chains and jewelry was too reminiscent of your time with the dumb fucker.¡± ¡°Vance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sticking with dumb fucker.¡± Davina held back the smile. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that what we did was a repetition of what I did with him, but more that I felt myself slipping into that deep subspace, and I liked it.¡± She paused to let that sink in, for both of them. ¡°But at the same time I started to worry about stupid things like if I had stomach rolls when I was sitting on the stool.¡± She hugged herself. ¡°I worried about it, because my Master deserved to look at a sub who was visually pleasing.¡± ¡°Oh. Oh shit.¡± ¡°Precisely,¡± she agreed. Grif rolled his shoulders, hands still gripping the rails. ¡°Now is probably the right time for me to confess. And by right time, I meanpletely wrong time.¡± ¡°Confess away,¡± Davina waved one hand dramatically. ¡°I was trying to get you in subspace.¡± That wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d expected him to say. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°You so rarely let go, and the note from the overseers said it was supposed to be a challenge, and so that was my challenge to myself¡ªget you into subspace without impact y or rope bondage. I could tell what was working and leaned into it.¡± He grimaced. ¡°I had no idea what I was doing was actually poking at some old emotional wounds and triggers.¡± Davina felt like she¡¯d been sucker punched. ¡°You wanted me to be more submissive?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you got hard so fast.¡± It felt like there were bees buzzing in her brain, making it hard to focus, hard to think. ¡°Then it¡¯s something about me, something about me makes men want me to be silent and still and helpless and¡ª¡± Grif grabbed her by the shoulders. ¡°No, Davina, stop it.¡± ¡°Is that an order, Master?¡± she snarled. ¡°No, damn it, it¡¯s not.¡± He released her, holding his hands up in the ¡°don¡¯t shoot¡± posture. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you submissive, I wanted you to let go. Damn it, Davina, I want to take care of you. That¡¯s why I top, why I¡¯m a Dom. I like, I need to take care of someone.¡± That took some of the wind out of her sails of anger. Grif dropped one hand, rubbed the other over his face. ¡°You¡¯re so closed, so controlled, but I see how much happier, calmer, you are after a scene where you hit subspace¡ªor, uh serenity. I wanted to get you there again.¡± He shoved his hands in his pockets. ¡°And yea, I was really fucking turned on when you called me Master. You¡¯d never done it before, and I¡­I wanted you to.¡± Davina felt both thrilled and strangely touched to hear him say that. It was like the captain of the baseball team asking her to go steady and be his girl, except the grown-ass woman version where the captain of the baseball team was a ridiculously sexy Dom and he wanted to be her Master. ¡°We¡¯re bonded,¡± she reminded him softly. ¡°In the eyes of the club that means more than using any particr term.¡± ¡°I know that. And now that I know you have some past bad associations with ¡®Master¡¯ I get why you didn¡¯t, don¡¯t, use that word but it¡­it bugged me.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ever tell me?¡± His brows climbed halfway to his hairline. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about your past?¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± Grif reached out for her, but dropped his hand. She was going to have to bridge the gap between them. Davina took one step, the toe of her shoe between his insteps. With deliberate care, she leaned into him. First, her knees touched his, then their thighs pressed together. Hips, stomachs, then her breasts were pressed against his chest. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him grip the railing so hard his knuckles went white. He was fighting to keep still, to keep from Dom-ing out and taking control of this moment. Perverse thing that she was, she found that ridiculously sexy. Davina wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled herself up onto her toes, and feathered kisses along his jaw. ¡°Davina,¡± he growled. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I need to know we¡¯re okay. You safe worded out, and now I get why, but I need to know how you want to¡­what we¡¯re¡­¡± She was gently nipping his jaw, and it was¡ªdelightfully¡ªkilling his concentration. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re asking,¡± she whispered in his ear. ¡°Maybe if you finished the sentence.¡± She sucked on his earlobe. Grif snarled something that might have been an oath, then grabbed her hips. With delightful speed and strength he flipped their positions. Her ass against the wall, the railing at her back, his heavy, hard body pinning her there. The pressure of being squeezed was delightful and rxing. Davina tipped her head back, looking up at the towering wall of travertine, and above that the pale blue sky. Grif wrapped one hand very gently around her throat. Davina closed her eyes in relieved bliss. ¡°Yes,¡± she murmured. ¡°We need to work out how we¡¯re going to move forward, but not here, and not now.¡± He was right, but that didn¡¯t stop her from fantasizing about being spun around, bent over the railing, and fucked right here. ¡°Next weekend. At Las Palmas,¡± Grif said. ¡°It¡¯s only Saturday morning,¡± she murmured. ¡°We could go back right now.¡± ¡°We could, but¡ª¡± He interrupted himself, capturing her lips in a needy kiss. His tongue swept into her mouth, the force of the kiss as overwhelming andforting as the pressure of his body against hers. When he pulled back, she was breathless and aroused, her nipples hard, her pussy damp. ¡°But we won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t what?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t go back to Las Palmas today. You, my minx, are going to have to wait.¡± Grif released her and stepped back. The sexy asshole was grinning. He knew exactly what that kiss had done to her. And if the front of his jeans was any indication, he felt the same. And yet he was going to make them wait. ¡°That¡¯s just sadistic,¡± she grumped. Grif picked up her purse and held it out. ¡°I¡¯m full service like that.¡± Davina looped the purse over her arm, shook her head back. ¡°In that case, you can escort me to the tram.¡± ¡°Do you want to¡­get a cup of coffee?¡± ¡°Why, Grif, are you asking me out on a date?¡± He looked away andughed. ¡°Minx.¡± He sounded¡­strained. Theugh, his voice. Had he been asking her out on a date? He offered his arm, and Davina slid hers through, fingers on his forearm. The equilibrium they¡¯d achieved seemed to have rocked off center once again. Davina had no idea how to fix it, and she was already emotionally exhausted. They stayed silent as they walked through the Getty. He escorted her onto the tram, then through the parking lot to her car. Wanting to fix this, Davina kissed the corner of his mouth. ¡°Next weekend.¡± He gave her that half smile, but his eyes seemed almost sad. ¡°Next weekend, Minx.¡± Chapter 10 Chapter 10 If he knew how to y it cool, he would. Sadly, that was not a skill Grif had ever learned. Not that he didn¡¯t know how to rx or bezy, but when he was into something, or someone, he was all in. Looking back, some of the most pivotal moments in his life had started with him saying, ¡°You know what would be awesome?¡± And then running enthusiastically with whatever idea had juste to him. It¡¯s how his college friendship with a cinema major¡ªandte night discussions of the tech side of filmmaking¡ªhad led to him developing a GoPropatible hardware essory and an apanying bit of sweet software that fixed somemon user issues. The package quickly had be a must- have for documentary film makers and vloggers. He¡¯d sold the hardware to onepany, the software to another, and made a stupid amount of money. Now he was a one-man R&Dpany backed by a venture capital group who threw money at him for the right to have first bid on anything he created. He was also routinely hired by startups to create prototypes of everything from space-age toothbrushes to cameras for them to show investors or put up on Kickstarter. He started every project by getting excited about what he was about to do. There was nothing like creating something the world had never seen before. Using tech and science to fix a problem, make life easier, make the world a little more cool and interesting. And now that he knew why Davina¡ªhis strong, self-assured minx¡ªhad safe worded out of a scene, he was practically bouncing with anticipation. He wanted to fix this. To create a new rtionship, a new dynamic that would make her happy. And what about you? Are you going to tell her you love her? Are you going to try and find your happy? His inner voice wasn¡¯t wrong¡ªin fact, that inner voice sounded a lot like one of his good friends who was a therapist¡ªbut with the will of someone headed headlong into a dangerous situation, he ignored it. The door to the Conve opened, and he forced himself not to react. The first few times the door opened he¡¯d whipped around, heart thudding in chest, only to find it was other couples,e to use either the loft or one of the stables to work on their letters. He ran his fingers over the jewelry and chains he¡¯did out on a ck velvet cloth. The cloth was on a small table, set precisely beside an inclined St. Andrews¡¯s cross. Last weekend he¡¯d had to improvise, since he hadn¡¯t known what their letter would be, and in an effort to challenge themselves he hadn¡¯t asked Davina to help him n the scene. The result had been something good, but not amazing. Last week had been a prototype, that in the best engineering tradition, failed gloriously, resulting in lots of good data he could work with in future nning and design. Time to n and map out what he was going to do was one of the reasons he hadn¡¯t wanted to go back to Las Palmasst Saturday after their meeting at the Getty Center. He¡¯d spent the work week getting little to no work done, but instead thinking about Davina. The revtions about her past as a submissive put a few things in different context. He¡¯d assumed she liked to n the scenes with him because she was a switch, and hadn¡¯t been able topletely let go of that need to control and direct. That was probably true, but he now wondered how much of that need was about self-protection¡ªmaking sure that a scene actually was a scene, and not her getting ignored in a corner. ¡°Grif.¡± Davina. She was here. The gnawing worry that she wouldn¡¯t show up faded. He took his time lifting the jewelry cor from its ce on the velvet cloth. Only then did he turn to face her. Damn the woman was sexy. So fucking sexy it hurt. And smart and funny and¡­ Davina wore a form-fittingce teddy. It hugged every curve, and the open pattern of thece meant that plenty of skin was visible. She wore soft ck slippers, and her hair was back in its normal braid. One thing that was missing was the glint of gold at her nipples. ¡°You look gorgeous, Minx.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir.¡± She deliberately emphasized thest word, but not in a mocking way. Grif held out his arm, as he had at the museum. She looped hers through his, and he led her over to the small seating area he¡¯d set up with straight backed chairs and a table. He pulled out her chair and motioned for her to sit. She did so, looking bemused. He took the chair across from her, then very deliberately set the jewelry cor down on the table. She inhaled audibly when she realized what it was. ¡°We need to talk about our rtionship.¡± Davina looked from the cor to him. Emotions flittered across her face, before she smiled. No, that wasn¡¯t a smile. He knew how she smiled. This was cold and fake. A mask. ¡°Of course,¡± she said amiably. ¡°Damn it, that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± He¡¯d practiced what he was going to say, and ¡°we need to talk¡± hadn¡¯t been part of the script. It sounded like the start of a breakup, which was thest thing he wanted. Why wasn¡¯t he better at this? Because now she¡¯s here, and every time you see her you start acting like a lovesick, horny teenager. God, his inner voice could be a dick. ¡°Rewind. Let me try this again. Last week didn¡¯t work, and after we talked, I know why. But I don¡¯t think we should just go back to doing what we¡¯ve been doing.¡± ¡°Why? What we were doing was working.¡± The fake smile was reced by a frown. ¡°At least it was working for me.¡± ¡°It was¡­mostly¡­working for me too. I¡¯m more inclined to top than to sub, but you know I¡¯ll do either.¡± She nodded. ¡°True. You and I don¡¯t see things as ck and white. Only Dom or only sub.¡± ¡°And I still believe that, I do, but I want¡­Davina, I¡¯d like you to be my sub.¡± One eyebrow rose. ¡°I know you are the submissive partner, but I want¡­I want us to try more. I¡¯m not talking about high protocol or anything like that. Just being a little bit more¡­structured¡­than we have been.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not happy with what we had?¡± Davina folded her arms, her bodynguage screaming defensive. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything in the two years we¡¯ve been bonded?¡± ¡°Of course I was happy.¡± Unless you count the fact that I¡¯m madly in love with you and don¡¯t even know yourst name. ¡°Hearing you call me Master, juste out and say it like that, it¡­It was something I didn¡¯t know I needed until I heard it. And seeing you submit that way¡­Well, I¡¯m not even sure how to describe it except it was like when you make a tweak to something and suddenly the output is four times as good as it was before, and you didn¡¯t even know the output could be that good.¡± Davina smiled and this time it was real. ¡°That is a terrible analogy.¡± ¡°I am fully aware of that,¡± he replied resignedly. She reached across the table to touch his arm. ¡°You know I liked what we did, liked being in that head space again, liked letting go so much. But you also know why I¡¯m very, very reluctant to do that again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you to trust me. You know me. Do you think I¡¯d ever put you in a corner or something stupid like that? And you¡¯re at a club, where there¡¯s lots of safetys.¡± ¡°And bondages,¡± she teased. Teasing was a good sign. ¡°I mean, I wouldn¡¯t be a member if there weren¡¯t.¡± ¡°Standards,¡± she agreed solemnly. ¡°We¡¯re going to have some guidelines,¡± he continued. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to lose this.¡± He gestured back and forth between them, using the motion to indicate their banter, their friendship that hade before their D/s rtionship. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose this either.¡± ¡°Then from now on, Friday nights are the same.¡± ¡°Dinner, drinks, people watching, nning,¡± she said. ¡°Our regr Friday night date routine.¡± ¡°Date,¡± she repeated softly. Damn it. ¡°After that,¡± he hurriedly added, ¡°if I put this cor on you, it means for the rest of the weekend I¡¯m the Master.¡± ¡°You decide when it goes on?¡± She hadn¡¯t rejected the idea. That was enough to make his chest feel light with relief. ¡°Top¡¯s prerogative.¡± She rolled her eyes yfully, but then her expression turned thoughtful. ¡°And what if¡ªemotionally or physically¡ªI need the cor?¡± ¡°You have to trust me to read you, and to know what you need.¡± ¡°And if I need some good tight rope bondage, something I can fight instead of something so delicate?¡± ¡°Trust me.¡± That is what it all came down to. Would she, could she, trust him enough to let him really lead. She was leaning towards him, a good sign, but she didn¡¯t say anything more. ¡°We still n out some scenes together,¡± he continued. ¡°You¡¯re sadistically creative, and I don¡¯t want to lose your deeply warped perspective.¡± She snorted out augh. ¡°Why, thank you.¡± ¡°But just because we n out a scene, doesn¡¯t mean we do it that weekend. We still get to coborate, but I decide when¡¯s the right time to do it.¡± He put a bit of force behind the words. Her tongue touched her top lip and she nodded once. ¡°That seems reasonable.¡± ¡°So you agree?¡± ¡°I do.¡± She reached out, trailing her fingers along the jewelry cor. ¡°I¡¯m terrified, but I trust you.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll make this work, we¡¯ll find a way to practice BDSM that¡¯s unique to us, something thatbines everything we both need.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite a promise, Grif. I¡¯mplicated, people areplicated. It might not be possible to weave all these pieces together.¡± ¡°Trust me enough to try.¡± She closed her eyes and nodded. Grif picked up the chain cor as he rose. He heard her breath hitch, her breasts rising and falling in an uneven rhythm as he made his way to the back of her chair. He undid the sp of the cor, then reached over her head, letting ity against her chest before drawing it up, snug against her neck. Once it was fastened, he checked to make sure it wasn¡¯t too tight. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Hey his palms on the tops of her shoulders, thumbs stroking the base of her neck. ¡°Good, Master.¡± Grif¡¯s cock, which had been slowly getting hard since he saw her, stood to attention. Yep, hearing her call him Master pushed all his buttons. Grif slid the thin straps of her lingerie off her shoulders so they dangled on her upper arms. ¡°From now on, you only wear things you¡¯re okay having me rip or cut off you. I know you don¡¯t want me to ruin your stuff, so you need to make sure you have stuff on you don¡¯t care about.¡± ¡°Yes, Master. Wait, you like ripping things off me? I thought you just forgot about my clothes.¡± ¡°Minx, no man forgets about getting his woman naked. Now it¡¯s time to y. Come with me.¡± * * * Davina sighed in delight as her Master finished strapping her to the St. Andrew¡¯s cross. He stroked her sides, then grabbed hold of the back of herce teddy. For a moment the fabric pulled painfully tight around her chest, then there was a rip, and she felt the garment tear down the back. A few more yanks at the bottom, and it was torn beyond repair. ¡°Feel better, Master?¡± she asked. She waited for a twinge of feeling to strike her after using the word¡ªfear, worry, something. There was nothing, only anticipation. And the word wasn¡¯t cold and distant, it was warm. She could use that term now, without it being a sign of something dangerous and worrying. They¡¯d discussed, openly and honestly, what they both wanted and needed. She was wearing the cor, which meant he was her Master, until the cor came off. She hadn¡¯t yet found her serenity, but she knew she would, and far more quickly and easily than she had in years. ¡°Much. And I¡¯m liking the view.¡± He ripped the straps from the teddy, allowing it to fall off her body. ¡°I don¡¯t want you worried that I won¡¯t still flog you, or abuse this sweet ass,¡± her Master growled. ¡°So kind of you to reassure me, Master.¡± Davina twisted to look at him over her shoulder. He was smiling as he shook out the tails of a deerskin flogger. ¡°I¡¯m a giver, what can I say?¡± This was good¡ªthey could still tease one another, pull a piece of that dynamic they¡¯d developed in their two years as partners forward into this new iteration of their rtionship. He snapped the flogger against his lower leg. The sound made her palms damp, her breath catch. Her arms were up and out, strapped to the St. Andrew¡¯s cross with leather buckles. Her feet were t on the floor, cuffs around her ankles tethered to the legs of the cross with short chains. She could shuffle her feet, shift her weight, but not close her legs. He could have added more bonds, could have strapped her so tightly to the St. Andrew¡¯s that she couldn¡¯t move, but he hadn¡¯t. This felt almost like a middle ground, somewhere between the tight rope bondage of a month ago, and the delicate restriction ofst weekend¡¯s chains. She arched her back, pressing her hips back, her ass out. It was an invitation for him to flog her, punish her, y with her. More than that, it was a confirmation of his right to do those things, because she had chosen to give him this power over her. He ran a firm hand from her left shoulder over the shoulder de, mid-back, lower back, and her ass. He then repeated that motion on the right. This is where I¡¯m going to flog you, his touch said. The first thump of the flogger hit her right ass cheek. Floggers looked like they would sting, but actually, despite the multiple strands, it was a single, thumping feeling, with maybe a few outlying snaps and pinches where the tips of a few tails struck. Davina rolled her neck and sighed happily. Oh yes, she needed this. Needed him. The next strike of the flogger seemed to brand those words, that thought, into her soul. She needed him. Another few strikes to her ass as he found his rhythm. She didn¡¯t have to look to know what he was doing. For single strikes, he¡¯d hold the handle of the flogger in his dominant right hand, catch the tails with his left, then snap it forward, drawing the tails through the confinement of his left hand to make sure all the strands stayed together. But when he got into a rhythm, as he was now, he¡¯d use just his right hand, moving his forearm and wrist to create a figure eight pattern, catching her ass twice in each pass¡ªonce at the beginning, once at the end. Her bottom was starting to heat. Her nipples were tight with need. There were plenty of people who could look at them and call this barbaric, or abuse, but turn around and go get a sports massage without objection, when thetter was actually more painful, and had no sexual payoff. They wouldn¡¯t know how much she needed this, how much she needed him. She found herself rocking her hips forward and back, in rhythm with the flogging. Yes, she needed him. Not just as a sexual partner, but as a¡­as a friend. Apanion. But only here, only on these all too rare, precious weekends. They had to keep their rtionship confined inside Las Palmas. It was too dangerous to do anything else. It might end up like it had with Vance. Grif is nothing like Vance. Thwack, thwack, thwack. He¡¯d found his rhythm, his breathing slow and steady. She needed this. He needed to do this to her. Thwack, thwack, thwack. She¡¯d forgotten that good impact y could be more than an emotional release, it could also bring emotional rity. That wasn¡¯t always a good thing. Some revtions were too hard to deal with. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. You need him. You know it, but you¡¯re scared. That¡¯s why, when he asked you out on a date, you deliberately misinterpreted. Pretended it wasn¡¯t what it was, and you hurt his feelings. You know you did. Damn it, damn it. Davina sucked in a breath, released it on a sob. There was a pause in the rhythm of the flogger. She would beg him to keep going, beg him not to stop so she could shove all these feelings back in the box where they needed to go. The flogger struck her right shoulder, shocking her into yelping. ¡°Breath into it,¡± her Mastermanded. ¡°You need this. I need this.¡± The words yanked the tension from her limbs, and submission made her body soft and rxed. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± The flogger struck the opposite side of her back, high enough to avoid the danger zone of her kidneys and lower back. Again he found a rhythm, working her over with the flogger. Now there was more of a sting, though the blows were softer. There wasn¡¯t as much fat or muscle to cushion the strikes. You have feelings for him. Real feelings for him. That¡¯s why you haven¡¯t dated in the two years you¡¯ve been bonded. Why would you need to? You¡¯ve had Grif. Enough intimacy to keep you emotionally stable, while also keeping him at a distance. That way you didn¡¯t have to risk your heart. Didn¡¯t have to find out if you were still weak, the way you were with Vance. Weak? Davina turned her head and bit down on her upper arm. She needed the pain, needed to clench onto something with her teeth or risk grinding them together. ¡°No,¡± Grifmanded. He tugged hard on her braid. ¡°Let go. Mouth open.¡± She forced her teeth apart, panting. ¡°Stay like that. You don¡¯t close down. ept and let go.¡± He began the flogging again, back at her ass. ¡°Find your serenity.¡± You are my serenity. Davina blinked, and tears tumbled from her lowershes. She hadn¡¯t been weak with Vance. Saying that wasn¡¯t being fair to herself, or kind. She¡¯d rushed headlong into a rtionship, and gotten burned, because she hadn¡¯t known how to walk away. It happened to most people, though usually it was with a first love, rather than a first D/s rtionship. That didn¡¯t make her weak. It made her strong for trying. Strong for knowing it was bad for her, even if it took her a while to realize. She needed to forgive herself for the past, and stop trying to pretend she didn¡¯t need more. It wasn¡¯t fair to her, or to Grif. Davina let out a sob, tears now streaming down her face. She should tell Grif what was going on, so he didn¡¯t think she was upset. She should try to exin these were tears of release. She didn¡¯t need to. Her master knew. He understood. His warm, hard body pressed against her back. He forced his right arm between her torso and the cross, hand snaking down between her spread legs to cup her pussy. A sob turned into a moan of need. She still had her lips parted, and it was a good thing he¡¯d ordered her to do that, because otherwise she might have bitten herself hard enough to draw blood. He hooked his thumb in her mouth, his fingers against her neck, over the cor, adding anotheryer of pressure. He spread her pussy open, her body slick and hot with need. Cool air touched her clit and she couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She closed her lips around his thumb, sucking on it. ¡°You¡¯re going toe for me,¡± he purred in her ear. One finger glided across her clit. ¡°And then you¡¯re going toe again.¡± Another stroke and she tried to push up on her toes, only to find she couldn¡¯t move. He was there, his body providing that pressure and restriction she craved. Her mentalndscape shed white, and though she was still physically aroused to a fever pitch, her emotions calmed. Her serenity. She nodded slightly, her eyes closed. She sucked gently on his thumb. ¡°My sweet minx.¡± He started to work her clit, circling the tight bud with a single finger. He knew how to touch her. He¡¯d done it a thousand times. And yet, today it felt new and different, something fresh, but also familiar. The orgasm came swiftly, and she didn¡¯t have to do anything but ept it. She whimpered in those moments before the sweet pleasure broke over her, then moaned as she came in truth, her pussy clenching tight, making her aware of how much she needed his cock in her. His finger went still, pressed to her clit but not manipting it, as the orgasm swept through her, leaving her sweaty and limp. He pulled his thumb from her mouth, swiping her saliva over her chin before reaching up to release her arms. ¡°Hands and knees on the mat. I¡¯m going to fuck you.¡± Davina scrambled to obey the moment she was free, practically running over to the familiar gym mats he¡¯did out on the floor. She dropped to her hands and knees, body still a little weak from the orgasm. ¡°Face down, ass up,¡± he growled. She didn¡¯t point out that a moment ago he¡¯d said hands and knees. If he wanted her in the even more submissive posture, she would do it. More than that, she wanted to do it. She lowered her shoulders and cheek to the mat, which smelled of vinyl and lemon-scented cleaner. There was the rasp of a zipper, and then he was there, his knees between her calves, hands on her hips. ¡°I won¡¯t be gentle,¡± he warned. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be, Master. I need you to fuck me. Hard. I need you to make me know this is okay. I¡¯m okay.¡± Her words were loaded, but neither of them were in the state of mind to unravel the knot of meaning. He squeezed her hips, holding her still. The head of his cock felt blunt and huge as it probed between her legs, hitting the back of her thigh before pressing against herbia, then gliding up the valley of her sex to the entrance to her body. He held here, on the cusp of entering her. ¡°You¡¯re mine,¡± hemanded. ¡°Yours, yours,¡± she agreed. Grif surged into her, his cock filling her with one long thrust. Still riding the tail of her previous orgasm, this was enough to bring her to a second release. The fullness, the submissive posture, the sounds he made as he started to fuck her, they were the stimtion that pushed her through a second, pulsing orgasm. Her toes clenched, her nails scraped the mat, and she reached that point of emotional rity she only ever found when she was in her serenity. There was one ringing truth that came to her in that moment of bliss. She was madly in love with Grif. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 That single, rtively simple scene of a flogging followed by fucking could have kept her content for quite a while. At most, she and Grif usually saw each other twice a month, so she¡¯d learned to hoard the feelings of satisfaction, to keep her going through the times when shey alone in her bed. But they were only a few hours into their first night together. There was plenty more time to y. That was both thrilling, and terrifying, because she couldn¡¯t unring a bell, and couldn¡¯t go back to ignoring the depth of her feelings for him. ¡°Still doing okay?¡± His lips flittered over her cheek, just below the blindfold he¡¯d put on her so he could set up the next scene without her knowing what he was nning. Davina inhaled as she arched her back, hoping to tempt him to y with her breasts. She was naked, and sitting on the table where they¡¯d had their rtionship meeting, her legs spread the width of the table. She swung her feet idly, enjoying simply being in his presence. ¡°And with that¡­¡± There was a thump. ¡°We are ready.¡± ¡°Can I look?¡± ¡°Ah ah, my minx. Not yet.¡± She heard him approach, reached out for him as he came close. He didn¡¯t reprimand her or order her to put her hands down. Each moment they spent together where she was submissive to him in that way she¡¯d dared not be, and he didn¡¯t react or behave the way Vance had, was a balm over an old wound. He guided her hands to his shoulders, then grabbed her hips, sliding her to the edge of the table. ¡°Hold tight,¡± hemanded. She wrapped her arms and legs around him. He picked her up, fingers digging into her ass as he carried her towards whatever delicious thing he had nned. ¡°You know,¡± she said in his ear. ¡°I used to fantasize about you nning some sexy mystery scene that I didn¡¯t know anything about.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± ¡°Because it was a fantasy, and so often the fantasy isn¡¯t worth it. And I like nning scenes, I really do.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll still n scenes with me, but not while the cor is on. This is still a partnership.¡± He set her ass down on something narrow. She clung to his shoulders until she found her bnce. ¡°But now it¡¯s a partnership where we¡¯re a little more honest about what we need, and how we feel.¡± She didn¡¯t quite manage to hide the wince hisst words caused. If she were honest about how she felt, she¡¯d tell this man who had been her sex buddy for years, but whom she¡¯d seen outside the club only once, that she was in love with him. Right. Grif must not have been looking at her face, because he didn¡¯tment. Instead he was busy helping her get into a slightly odd position. She was kneeling with her legs spread, and leaning back just enough to prop her ass against the narrow thing he¡¯d first seated her on. Straps came tight over her calves and ankles, confirming the feeling that she wasn¡¯t kneeling on the floor or a solid surface, but on some sort of padded tform. ¡°I know you like, need, tight bondage, but I want you free to move around once I have you prepped, so I¡¯m going to put you in a sleeve, but I promise it won¡¯t be for long. Arms back. Brace them on the bench behind your butt.¡± ¡°Rope bondage and tight bondage made it easier for me to find my serenity. Now that¡­¡± she wanted to chicken out and use a euphemism, but she forced herself to speak the truth. ¡°Now that you¡¯re my master, not just my top or my partner, I think it¡¯s going to be a lot easier.¡± She smelled baby powder in the moment before he started to sprinkle it on her arms. His big hands smoothed the powder along her skin. ¡°You no longer like tight bondage?¡± Though he asked the question, he didn¡¯t stop his preparation for putting her in the sleeve. That sent a little thrill of arousal through her¡ªthat he was going to do what he wanted to her, no matter what she said, was wonderful in all the right, perverse ways. There was the tacky, stic sound of atex or vinyl fabric being shaken out, and then he pressed her wrists together. The sleeve¡ªa single piece of fabric that went around both arms, forcing them together, was wrapped around both arms. She heard him buckle the starter restraints in ce, then felt the tugging as he started to draw theces tighter. She rolled her shoulders back, trying to draw her shoulder des down, almost as she would in yoga, which would allow her elbows toe closer together. He took advantage of that, tightening the sleeve until her wrists and forearms were entirely touching and her elbows almostpletely together. ¡°How are your shoulders?¡± ¡°Okay, for now.¡± It wasn¡¯t exactlyfortable but it wasn¡¯t meant to be; it was a stress position, but one she could hold. ¡°You will tell me if they start to hurt.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°Damn it, Minx, you¡¯re going to make my cock hard again.¡± She hummed her appreciation for that, well aware that with her knees spread and arms back, both her pussy and breasts were on disy. ¡°That hardly seems like a problem.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be, if I didn¡¯t have other ns for your pussy.¡± That sounded promising. ¡°You could fuck my ass, or my mouth.¡± ¡°And I intend to do both.¡± He yanked the blindfold off, and she blinked a few times before focusing on his face. Grif was looming over her, standing between her spread knees, his eyes dark and intense with desire. Davina licked her lower lip, then let her mouth fall open as she exhaled. Grif growled, cupped the back of her head with his hands, and kissed her hard and deep. His kisses were like a drug, a pleasure so intense she could drown in it. This is what it feels like to be kissed by the man you love. He pulled back, but not far, his mouth trailing down the line of her neck to her corbone, which he nipped gently. Lower again, and now he was licking and nipping her breast, his breath hot on her skin. He teased her, touching her everywhere but her sensitive nipples. For one horrible moment she wondered if he was going to use those nipple cages again. It would be a punishment, a kind of torture, when she so longed to have him touch and y with the tips of her breasts. Finally he kissed each nipple, a chaste brush of lips before straightening. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing your nipple bars?¡± ¡°I was hoping¡­I was hoping if I didn¡¯t have them, then you would y with them more.¡± He cupped her breasts, lifting them. ¡°Have I neglected your nipples in the past?¡± ¡°No, Master. At least, not untilst week. I hated the nipple cages.¡± ¡°Thank you for telling me. How long can you go without having jewelry in before they close up?¡± ¡°A day or so, Master.¡± ¡°And how long ago did you take them out?¡± ¡°Just before I left the Subs¡¯ Garden.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll leave them off for now. It works well with what I have nned.¡± Grif walked away, back to the velvet covered table he¡¯d been standing at when she first walked in. Now that he was upied, she looked down at herself. She was bound to a spanking bench, but instead of face down, she was facing backwards, with her butt braced on the edge of the torso support, knees and lower legs on the kneeler pads. A low stool was positioned between her spread knees, and she really hoped that was where Grif was nning to sit. It would put his head level with her pussy. The man¡¯s tongue was a gift to women, and several times in the past she¡¯d thanked whatever generous soul had taken the time to train him how to eat pussy properly. Grif came back, shirtless, all muscles and those lovely freckles she liked to kiss. Her own shoulders were starting to ache, but that was forgotten when he took a seat on the stool between her legs. ¡°You¡¯re smiling,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m excited,¡± she murmured. ¡°This seems promising.¡± He grinned, then let out a low chuckle that did things to her insides. He was a sexy man with a sexy laugh. ¡°I have a present for you,¡± he said. ¡°Custom ordered, not something from the stockpile in the Den.¡± He stretched out one leg and started digging in his pocket. ¡°Jewelry?¡± The trepidation she felt was present in her voice. His head snapped up. ¡°You okay?¡± She nodded. ¡°Oh no, no. Talk to me.¡± ¡°I just¡­I¡¯m scared it will end like it didst time.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t because now we know what we¡¯re doing. If you start to go too deep, I¡¯ll pull you back.¡± He drew his hand from his pocket, then turned it palm up, showing her the small collection of items. ¡°What are they, Master?¡± ¡°A set ofbia clips, clit cuff, and a nipple chain.¡± He picked up what she¡¯d thought was a costume jewelry ne, showing her the ends, which had loops of thin twine and beads in ce of a jewelry sp. Between those was a gold two-strand ne set with a dozen evenly spaced dark rhinestones that looked almost like ck diamonds. She was assuming it was costume, because if it wasn¡¯t, he was holding six figures¡¯ worth of gems. ¡°You had that¡­custom made for me?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes. Though it¡¯s not exactly what I wanted, it¡¯s what I could get rush shipped in time.¡± Heid the nipple chain over his knee, then held up thebia clips, which were simple jewelry clips rather than mps¡ªsimr to what was used for clip on earrings¡ªand would hug rather thanpress. A two- inch gold chain connected them, set with a stone that matched the nipple jewelry. ¡°And this is for your sweet clit.¡± He held up the final piece. Arge ck stone dangled from a tiny gold cuff. If you didn¡¯t know better, you might think you were looking at an ear cuff with a single-stone pendant attached to it. ¡°Have you ever worn clit jewelry?¡± ¡°Not like that, Master. Some mps¡ª¡± ¡°Ah yeah, I was there for that.¡± ¡°¡ªsome of those ones that look like tuning forks that you slide over, but nothing like that.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s start with the good stuff.¡± Grif closed his hand, thebia and clit jewelry hidden in his fist, then he leaned in, pressed his mouth against her pussy, and went to work. Her body, still wonderfully tender from the two orgasms she¡¯d had, reacted to the first sweep of his tongue as if she¡¯d been struck with a cattle prod. She jerked and gasped, her thigh muscles straining with the instinctive need to close around his head and hold him there. He sucked her clit into his mouth, his nose buried against her mound, his chin wedged between her labia. He pulled back, her clit sliding between his lips, every millimeter of sensitive flesh stimted by the soft touch of his mouth. Fingers were wonderful, but there was something about the softness of a man¡¯s mouth against her pussy that she found wildly erotic. As if it was only now, when he used his mouth to pleasure her, that he was able to match the softness of her body with his own softness, instead of the invasive hardness of fingers or erect cock. He licked gently, not flicking the way some did, but rubbing his tongue up and down. Her toes curled, her pussy clenched and then¡­ He pulled back. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Davina opened her mouth, ready to say something snarky, to chide him for teasing her. The cor at her throat, the gentle but insistent pressure of it, stopped her. She would have her time to tease him, to banter and demand, but not now, not when he was her Master. Grif spread her pussy lips with two fingers. ¡°Are you ready, Minx?¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± He positioned the cuff above her clit at the apex of herbia, then slid it down onto her clit. The diameter was small enough that once he had it in ce, around the widest part of her clit, there was no space between the metal and her flesh. The open edges dug in to the base of her clit just enough to be felt. ¡°This will hurt,¡± he warned. She didn¡¯t have time to ask what would hurt before he was pinching the cuff, squeezing it tighter onto her clit. She cried out, tears stinging her eyes. ¡°Well done,¡± he murmured. ¡°Beautiful, my minx. Beautiful.¡± She took a breath, and realized that it didn¡¯t hurt any longer, but she could feel the added pressure. It was an unfamiliar sensation, but far from unpleasant. It made her aware of her clit in a way she normally wasn¡¯t, even when aroused. She shifted her weight from knee to knee and the jewel dangling from the clit cuff tapped against herbia. ¡°That is so fucking sexy,¡± he growled. ¡°I want to see all of it.¡± Grif tugged on her left pussy lip. There was a snapping sound, and a slight pinch. He pulled on the other lip, attaching the remaining end of thebia jewelry to that side. She strained her neck to get a look at her pussy. ¡°Trust me, you look good.¡± He flicked the jewels that were now nestled in her pussy. He positioned the labia clips so that jewel on that chain hung just below the one dangling from her cuffed clit. ¡°And now for these.¡± Grif surged to his feet and looked at her breasts. ¡°Have I mentioned how lovely your breasts are?¡± ¡°Not in the past hour or two, Master.¡± ¡°Remiss of me.¡± He leaned down and sucked on her left nipple. This time he didn¡¯t stop, but sucked and nipped, bit and tugged. Arousal shot through her, setting nerve endings aze. Her captured clit pulsed with need, the cuff wonderful and infuriating all at once. He lifted his head, his dark gaze watching her. ¡°Use me, please, Master.¡± His nostrils red, his face stark with desire. He positioned the loop of twine over her nipple, then slowly drew the bead up, tightening the loop until it squeezed her nipple. He let the chain dangle from that breast while he sucked and teased the other. The weight of it was delicious and foreign. He applied a loop to her other nipple, pulling it tight, and then took a step back. Last time the chain jewelry had made her feel submissive, had put her into that headspace she both needed and feared, yet had also left her erogenous zones mostly unstimted, especially her nipples. Tonight the jewelry he¡¯d ced on her both highlighted and stimted her breasts and pussy, while still making her feel deliciously submissive. Grif walked around behind her and started loosening the sleeve. When he took it offpletely, he massaged her arms and supervised as she rolled her shoulders. Next her legs were freed from the spanking bench restraints. She wobbled a little, clinging to his forearms, as she finally stood on her own. ¡°How does it feel?¡± His voice was low, his cock visibly hard inside his jeans. ¡°New, different, good.¡± She rocked her hips side to side. ¡°The one on my clit is¡­I don¡¯t know if I like it or hate it.¡± He leaned in. ¡°You want to know a secret?¡± Her nipples, forced to stay hard thanks to the nipple chain, tightened just a little bit more in response to the sexy menace in his tone. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°Love it or hate it, that cuff is staying on your sweet clit until I take it off.¡± Davina closed her eyes in bliss. This was bliss. This was what she needed. ¡°Now then, I think we should go show off your new jewelry.¡± Grif offered his arm. Davina slid hers through his, and, nipple chain swaying, walked out of the conve and into the heart of the club with her Master. * * * Grif pressed his thumb into the arch of Davina¡¯s foot. She moaned in pleasure, a sound not unlike what she made when she orgasmed. Grif smiled and continued massaging her left foot. He was sprawled on one end of a leather couch in the Library, Davina stretched out next to him. Her left legy on the seat of the couch, foot on hisp. Her right leg was, at hismand, lifted and hooked over the back of the couch, keeping her sweet pussy both visible and essible. Her arms were over her head, resting on the arm of the couch, which kept her lovely breasts on disy. It was Saturday afternoon, and he¡¯d once more put the clit cuff,bia clip, and nipple chain on her. He¡¯d put silver nipple rings through her nipplesst night before they went to bed, to make sure the holes didn¡¯t close up, and now the anchor loops of the nipple chain were secured behind the ball ends of her regr gold nipple bars. He lifted her foot to his mouth, kissed her toes. She raised her head and smiled at him. Her expression was a study inzy contentment. His heart thudded in his chest. He would do anything for this woman, and knowing he¡¯d put that look on her face satisfied him in a way he¡¯d never experienced before. Over the past twenty-four hours, they¡¯d gone hard, testing and pushing this new dynamic of their rtionship. He¡¯d set her on the table while he ate dinner, his te between her syed thighs so he could look at her sweetly decorated pussy. He¡¯d turned her over his knee for a spanking, plugged her ass, and then fucked her mouth, all while the gems dangled and tugged on her clit and nipples. Back in their room, he¡¯d bent her roughly over the side of the bed and fucked her pussy with the plug still in her ass. The force of their fucking yanked thebia clips off her pussy lips, but he¡¯d been able to feel the clit cuff against his balls every time he buried himself deep. Before bed he¡¯d put her into a warm bath, only then removing the nipple and clit jewelry, plucking her nipples and rubbing her clit to help with the ache. When they finally fell into bed, he¡¯d debated taking her cor off. In the end, he¡¯d not only left it on, but attached two of those thin jewelry chains to the tiny O ring, and then clipped the other end of each to the recently inserted nipple rings. She¡¯d sighed in contentment and fallen asleep with her arms raised on the pillow, her knees spread just enough that he could easily touch and fondle her sweet pussy. He¡¯d yed with her a bit beforeying his head down¡ªtugging the chains, parting her pussy lips to gently touch her clit, tracing the path the cor made around her neck. When they wokete this morning, the first thing he¡¯d done was to roll her over, shock her awake by inserting a nice fat plug into her pretty ass, and then shoved a pillow under her hips so he could fuck her. Within moments she¡¯d been begging him to let here, calling him Master in that sweet way he couldn¡¯t get enough of. Davina wiggled her toes andid her head back down. ¡°I like this, Master.¡± ¡°Having your feet rubbed?¡± ¡°Just¡­being here, with you. When we¡¯re Master and sub, I mean.¡± ¡°Agree,¡± he murmured. ¡°I would be content just being with you.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if that sentence made sense, and he was slightly embarrassed by the emotion it revealed. Yes, fucking her, topping her, even being topped by her, were all wonderful, but if Davina decided tomorrow to swear off sex for life, he¡¯d still want to be with her. He would just spend a lot more time jacking off in the shower, using memories of this past day as fodder. Once more, Davina looked up, a slight frown marring her face. Before she could say anything, Grif¡¯s stomach rumbled, loud enough for the whole damn room to hear. Davina blinked. ¡°Is that your stomach?¡± ¡°Yea.¡± It rumbled again. ¡°We haven¡¯t eaten since brunch.¡± Given howte they¡¯d woken up, they hadn¡¯t had time for more than one meal, and most people at the club ended up eating around lunchtime, ate dinner as the second meal, and then a nightcap and snack in the wee hours before calling it a night. ¡°Time to go get some food.¡± He held out a hand, and when she grabbed it, he pulled her into a sitting position, her leg sliding off the back of the couch as she moved. ¡°You know what I want?¡± Davina mused. ¡°Fish tacos and a margarita.¡± ¡°Oh yea? I know a great ce in Pacific Palisades. Do you want to go out?¡± The words were out before he thought them through. The food at Las Palmas was always five star, catered by a local restaurant, but it wasn¡¯t going to be fish tacos. Davina stilled. ¡°Are you asking me out on a date?¡¯ Damn it. Grif hid his wince and pushed to his feet, using the movement to avoid looking at her. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a blender somewhere behind the bar. I¡¯ll work on that margarita.¡± Davina caught his hand. ¡°Grif, are you asking me out on a date?¡± ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m tired. It just slipped out, I know that¡¯s not¡ª¡± ¡°Because if you are, the answer is yes. I¡¯d like to go out with you.¡± His heart lurched in his chest, stupid, stupid hope blooming within him. He looked back and down. She was sitting on the edge of the couch, one arm outstretched to hold his hand, the other curled in a loose fist on her knees. Don¡¯t be stupid. She doesn¡¯t mean she wants to date you. ¡°You want to take our new Master and sub show on the road?¡± he asked carefully. ¡°No.¡± Davina squeezed his hand and let go. ¡°That¡¯s never something I¡¯ll want. I need to keep D/s y here. With my pastpartmentalizing in order to make sure I don¡¯t fall too deep into my serenity is vital.¡± ¡°Then you¡­you¡¯ll go on a date with me?¡± Davina pushed to her feet, pressed her fingers to her cheeks. ¡°I think this conversation would be better if we weren¡¯t like this.¡± She motion to her naked, bejeweled body. ¡°Okay.¡± Grif wasn¡¯t sure he entirely understood what she was asking, and he wasn¡¯t going to assume and make an ass of himself. He pushed away his insecurities, reminding himself that as long as she wore that cor she was his. She belonged to him. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the Subs¡¯ Garden, and remove your jewelry. Once I do, you go in, get dressed, and meet me by the front door.¡± Davina¡¯s shoulders rxed. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± He tugged her against his chest for a quick, hard kiss, and then led her out of the library. Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Davina let Grif drive, only because he knew where they were going. They¡¯d had a spirited argument about it in the parking lot, which ended with Grif reminding her that without him, she wouldn¡¯t get the Soutnd¡¯s best, crispiest fish tacos. Her stomach grumbled and she gave in, hiding her smile of delight that he hadn¡¯t insisted he should be the one to drive because he was her Master. Insisting on driving because you knew the way was something entirely different. The cor was off, and they were back to being Grif and Davina, lovers, sexual partners, and friends, though she hadn¡¯t used that word to describe them before. They hit the normal weekend beach traffic, but within forty minutes they were walking into a little Mexican restaurant. The minute the door opened, Davina¡¯s mouth started to water. It smelled like cntro, onions, cumin, and fried fish. ¡°I¡¯m starving,¡± she moaned. Grif put a hand on her back, leading her to the tiny hostess stand. ¡°Give me five more minutes and you¡¯ll have your margarita and some chips with good salsa.¡± They were led to a small booth with high backed wooden bench seats. The tablecloth was garish, the old photos on the walls a bit dingy indicating they hadn¡¯t been taken down and cleaned in a while, and like any good Los Angeleno, she knew that meant the food was going to be delicious. When the waitress came, Davina ordered a pitcher of the house margaritas just to see how Grif would react. He added a request for water, and then the waitress was off to get their order started. ¡°Does it bug you that I ordered drinks for us?¡± she asked. ¡°No. Honestly that¡¯s what I was going to order. If I¡¯d wanted something else, I would have changed it.¡± He looked up from the menu. ¡°Did you want it to bug me?¡± ¡°I just wanted to make sure you weren¡¯t¡­¡± She finished with a shrug. ¡°Still in Master mode?¡± His voice was a bit lower than it had been, and it made her remember what it felt like to have him whisperingmands in her ear. She waited for panic, or for that sh of white that indicated she was sinking into her serenity. Neither happened; it was just a good memory, triggered by the tone of his voice. She rxed again. ¡°I rmend thebination three-taco te, with their homemade refried beans.¡± ¡°Mmm, that sounds good, but fattening. I¡¯m going to get two tacos a carte, and then steal a bite of your beans.¡± ¡°Keep your fork away from my te, woman.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t your mother teach you to share?¡± They sniped gently at one another until the waitress came to take their order. Grif pointedly ordered an extra side of beans. The bartender delivered their frosty pitcher and two salt-rimmed sses. Grif poured, and held his ss up in a toast. ¡°To fish tacos, and eating your own beans.¡± Davina grinned, but as delightful as this was so far, this dinner was about more than just food. She was in love with this man, and it was time to find out if there was a chance for them to be anything more than BDSM partners. If he hadn¡¯t asked her to coffeest weekend at the Getty, she wouldn¡¯t have daredplicate an alreadyplex situation by adding a vani romance to it, but he had, and she¡¯d seen the disappointment in his face when she turned him down. At the time, she hadn¡¯t wanted to acknowledge it for what it was, probably because doing so would mean opening the door to acknowledging her own feelings. Well, that door had been blown open. ¡°To our first date,¡± she countered. Grif froze, an adorable deer in headlights look on his face. She tapped her ss to his, then took a long drink. ¡°Okay, can we just¡­are we on a date?¡± Davina looked around pointedly. ¡°I certainly thought so.¡± ¡°I mean a date, date?¡± She set her ss down. ¡°That¡¯s a fair question, since I was so dismissive when you¡¯ve asked me out before. The answer is yes, this is a date date.¡± Now it was her turn to feel unsure. ¡°Unless that¡¯s not what you think it is.¡± Grif downed half his margarita in one swallow. ¡°For two smart, confident people, we are behaving like dumbasses.¡± Davinaughed. ¡°We are.¡± ¡°Then cards on the table.¡± Grif nted his elbows and leaned forward. ¡°I like you, Davina. As more than just the person I get to spend time with at Las Palmas.¡± It seemed like he was avoiding saying BDSM or Master/sub, almost as if to keep from reminding her that when they were at the club, he had the power. ¡°I have for a while.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± she asked softly. ¡°First, I didn¡¯t want to risk fucking up what we had. Second, the few times I sort of mentioned it, you blew me off.¡± She winced. ¡°I did, and I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°So what changed?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Stupid question. I know what changed, I was there. I mean why did that make you want to go on a date with me? If anything, it would seem like me being¡­ that the change would make you want to date me less.¡± She mirrored his posture, elbows on the table, leaning in so their faces were less than a foot apart. ¡°I found emotional rityst night. I hadn¡¯t let myself sink that deeply into my serenity in years. You got me there, and I had to stop hiding from myself.¡± He nodded slowly. ¡°That makes sense. Can I ask¡­can I ask what you realized?¡± ¡°That I¡¯m in love with you.¡± Grif stared at her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± His disbelief should have made her sick with embarrassment, but something about the tone of his shock, and the way he was looking at her¡ªdisbelief and a tinge of outrage rather than pity¡ªtold her this was going to be okay. ¡°I love you,¡± she rified. ¡°No. Oh no, no, no. You do not get to say it first.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°It means I¡¯ve been in love with you for the past year and a half, and forced myself to keep my mouth shut about it so I didn¡¯t send you running for the hills.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been¡­in love with me¡­for over a year?¡± ¡°Exactly. Which means you don¡¯t get to say it first, a fraking day after figuring out you love me. Take it back.¡± ¡°I am not going to take it back.¡± ¡°Take it back, damn it.¡± Davina couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. She started tough, head thrown back in mirth. Grif slouched against the booth, his arms folded, the picture of disgruntled man, except for his eyes, which were crinkled at the corners with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m guessing this means you aren¡¯t married with kids,¡± he said. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Of course not,¡± she said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be with you if I was married.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would, but our contract only demands no additional partners, once the contract started. If you¡¯d been married that would have been a preexisting partner and you could have still been¡­been going home to him.¡± Davina was absolutely shocked by his words. ¡°You thought about this?¡± ¡°Thinking about another man touching you, getting to sleep next to you, has fueled many of my boxing workouts.¡± He looked grim. ¡°It was killing me.¡± ¡°Grif, I do want to date you, but, because of my past, I will need¡­Wait, you¡¯re describing yourself as my side piece?¡± ¡°I love you, Davina. If being married and spending the weekends with me is what made you happy then¡­¡± He ran a hand through his hair. ¡°All I wanted was for you to be happy.¡± ¡°Oh my god, Grif, I had no idea. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± ¡°After all, we don¡¯t even know each other¡¯sst names.¡± Davina stuck out her hand. ¡°Davina Kapadia.¡± Grif shook it, some of the angry tension fading from his face. ¡°Griffin Creeley. I¡¯m aputer engineer. I have my own R&Dpany, Lion Tail Tech. Griffins have a lion¡¯s tail, hence the name.¡± Davina pulled her hand back, frowning. ¡°Lion Tail Tech?¡± ¡°Yea, have you heard of it?¡± She pulled her phone from her purse and started tapping out a message to her assistant. ¡°I need to check on something, but if I¡¯m right, it might solve our problem.¡± ¡°Wait, what problem?¡± She set the phone down to wait for a reply. Technically, her assistant didn¡¯t work on the weekends, but Davina was fairly sure the young man would answer. ¡°You know, about what happened thest time I had a rtionship with someone who was a BDSM practitioner. I wasn¡¯t even dating him, I mean it ended up being closer to 24/7, but it was supposed to be sex only, and I couldn¡¯t keep it from bleeding into my day to day life. If I were also dating my BDSM partner¡­ You see the problem.¡± The waitress chose that moment to appear with their food. If she¡¯d heard what Davina said, she didn¡¯t give any indication, instead setting down steaming hot tes with delicious looking food. When she finally left, Grif leaned in. ¡°What problem?¡± ¡°I¡¯m eating my tacos while they¡¯re hot.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± He looked outraged. Davina tipped her head to the side and took a big bite of her taco. Oh damn, this was good. He pantomimed shaking her, then dug into his rice and beans. They ate in tense silence. When her first taco was happily in her belly, Davina took a break, wiping her fingers and then sipping her drink. Grif put down his fork and watched her. ¡°I love you. You, and this rtionship, have kept me centered and emotionally healthy for the past two years.¡± ¡°But,¡± he murmured. She nodded. ¡°But, I won¡¯t risk my mental or emotional health by dating someone in the lifestyle.¡± He picked up his ss but didn¡¯t drink. ¡°You¡¯re saying that it¡¯s one or the other, either we¡¯re D/s partners, or we date?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s one possibility.¡± ¡°Davina¡­that is fucking bullshit.¡± Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Davina tensed when he called bullshit. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you feel that way.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t pull back behind your walls.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t call something bullshit until I finish exining it.¡± He scrubbed his hands over his face. ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Davina rolled her shoulders in an effort to relieve the tension. Trying to exin what she felt, and what she needed, was hard when it was more of an amorphous idea than a clearly delineated thought. Looking around the table, she picked up two simr sized bottles of hot sauce. ¡°This is us at Las Palmas.¡± She set the bottles down, then picked up the salt and pepper shakers. ¡°And this is us trying to have a rtionship.¡± She set these down a few inches from the hot sauce pair. ¡°I need to know that these things can stay separate.¡± She put her hands on the outside of the various condiments and started scooting them across the table towards one another. Grif slid his knife into the narrow gap, stopping the forward progress. ¡°We need a barrier. This knife.¡± ¡°Yes. Like I was saying, if we do one or the other, we remove the need for the knife.¡± She picked up the salt and pepper shakers and the knife, leaving only the hot sauce on the table. Grif took them from her, setting them back down. ¡°I love you, Davina. If¡­doing both will hurt you, then we¡¯ll pick one or the other, but damn it, I want more than that. I want to fall asleep next to you, and judge your Netflix queue, and see shitty movies and show you stuff I invent, and¡­¡± He waved his hands in the air. ¡°Life. I want to do life stuff with you.¡± Davina had to swallow past the lump of emotion in her throat. ¡°I want that too, but I¡¯m so scared.¡± Grif got up and came around to her side of the table, sliding onto the bench seat beside her. He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed the side of her head. ¡°We¡¯ll figure this out. We just need a knife.¡± He squeezed her shoulders. ¡°Hey, wait, we already have a knife. Las Palmas is the knife. The Tabasco sauces only exist at Las Palmas.¡± ¡°And if we were actual little ss containers, that would work, but we¡¯re not. I don¡¯t trust that the D/s rtionship won¡¯t spill over. It will start small. As a joke when I beat you at a game of Mario Kart, you¡¯ll threaten to spank me.¡± ¡°First of all, you¡¯d never beat me at Mario Kart, but go on.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯d have a fight, a real fight, and you wouldn¡¯t even mean to, but your voice would change, and it would be your Dom voice, your Master voice, and I¡¯d give in.¡± ¡°I would never do that, Davina. You know me.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t mean to,¡± she whispered. ¡°I know that, but if we have equal power here¡ª¡± She pointed to the salt and pepper, then to the hot sauce, ¡°but here it¡¯s a power exchange, no matter what we do, the scales will always be uneven.¡± ¡°So the knife needs to be a way for you to have more power? That¡¯s easy. We switch off who¡¯s the top at Las Palmas. I¡¯ll sub for you every other month.¡± Davina¡¯s heart lurched. ¡°That is so sweet, but now that I know how good it feels to call you Master, there¡¯s no going back.¡± ¡°If you tell me that we can¡¯t be together within an hour of telling me you love me, I¡¯m going to¡­I don¡¯t know what. Davina, please. There¡¯s a solution. We¡¯ll find the knife, together.¡± He¡¯d been her sexual partner for years, and in that time he¡¯d been a good partner, kind and adventurous, fun and intense. ¡°I love you, Grif. And I think I¡¯ve loved you for far longer than I¡¯ve realized.¡± ¡°And I love you. It¡¯s nice to say it. Even better to hold you while I say it.¡± He captured her lips in a gentle kiss. He tasted like salt and tequ, and smelled wonderfully familiar. ¡°I¡¯m scared,¡± she whispered as they broke apart. ¡°All we can do is try.¡± ¡°I lost myself thest time I let a D/s rtionship spill over.¡± ¡°I do not want that, at all. And I don¡¯t mean to dismiss what happened to you in the past. Hey, unrted question, what¡¯s Vance¡¯sst name?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I bought hispany, liquidated it, and orchestrated it so he went bankrupt.¡± Grif twisted so he could face her. ¡°Uh, what was that?¡± Her phone chimed. Davina picked it up, checked the message, and smiled. ¡°I think I found our knife.¡± ¡°I am very confused, but you¡¯re smiling, so I¡¯m hoping that¡¯s a good sign.¡± ¡°A very good sign.¡± She plucked one white and one yellow sugar packet from the sweetener options. ¡°There¡¯s a third version of us?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She set the knife aside, then positioned the sugar packets on the other side of the salt and pepper, so each of the sets was in a line. ¡°If those are the knife, shouldn¡¯t they go in the middle?¡± ¡°Forget the knife, we¡¯re done with that analogy. And go back to your seat so I can see you.¡± ¡°And you are seriously worried about being too submissive in a rtion-¡­I¡¯m going, I¡¯m going, stop poking me with your bony fingers.¡± Grumbling, he returned to his side of the booth. nting his elbows on the table, he stared down at her little diorama. She looked at him and a swell of affection mingled with need, love mingled with lust, nearly took her breath away. ¡°Bnce,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s all about bnce. You¡¯re probably right. If we just had these two¡ªour spicy D/s rtionship, which we keep at Las Palmas, and our vani rtionship, we would probably be fine. You¡¯re not Vance, and I¡¯m not the same woman I was back then.¡± He looked up, face soft and loving. She would die happy if she got to see Griffin look at her like that every day. ¡°I will do anything to protect you, make you happy,¡± he murmured. She hoped that was true, because she was about to drop a bombshell. ¡°But I need there to be bnce,¡± she said softly. ¡°On this side, you have the power. In the vani rtionship we have equal power.¡± Finally she pointed to the sugar packets. ¡°But in our professional lives, I have the power.¡± Grif blinked. ¡°Uh,e again?¡± ¡°You¡¯re Lion Tail Tech, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Davina, what are you¡ª¡± ¡°You said you¡¯re backed by a venture capital firm, right? I¡¯m guessing they essentially pay your living expenses.¡± He was frowning. ¡°In exchange for first right to bid on anything I invent that isn¡¯t under prior contract.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s the name of the venture capital firm?¡± ¡°Kapa Capital.¡± Davina held out her hand for him to shake. ¡°Davina Kapadia, majority shareholder and CEO of Kapa Capital.¡± Grif¡¯s eyes went round. ¡°Holy shit. You¡¯re¡­like my boss.¡± Davina grinned. ¡°Better than that, I own your ass professionally.¡± She tapped the sugar packets. ¡°Bnce.¡± ¡°You¡­you¡¯re¡­ But I never met you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re very good at what you do, but I don¡¯t meet with everyone the firm invests in. I only thought to check because the name¡ªLion Tail¡ªis so unique I recognized it. You were probably assessed by Sabah Bowler.¡± ¡°Uh, yea¡­¡± ¡°She works for me.¡± ¡°Holy shit.¡± He sat back. ¡°So if we break up, or I piss you off, you could ruin me.¡± The amusement and relief that she¡¯d been feeling dissipated to be reced by anxiety. She¡¯d been so caught up in the release of anxiety when she realized she¡¯d be in a position of power, that she had that safety that assured her she wouldn¡¯t end up losing herself, that she hadn¡¯t stopped to think it through. ¡°I would never do that,¡± she rushed to say. ¡°Never. I don¡¯t actually have a lot to do with the day-to-day rtionships with our assets.¡± ¡°Your assets¡­ That¡¯s what I am. Your asset.¡± Fuck. She¡¯d yed that all wrong, and from the way he was looking at her, she¡¯d just lost him. Davina poured more margarita into her ss, then chugged it, grimacing as the tequ burned her throat. When she set the ss down with a snap, Grif was looking at her with a cold set to his features. Angry. Disgusted. She was such a fool. ¡°Well, at least we have hot sauce,¡± she said. ¡°Unless that¡¯s gone too. I can understand if you don¡¯t want to¡­I mean it might be weird for you to top me, knowing what I do.¡± She reached for the pitcher again, but he caught her hand,cing their fingers together. She hadn¡¯t expected that. Could he feel the way her hands were trembling? ¡°Bnce, right?¡± He gestured to her strange little disy. ¡°You¡¯re right, it is a little¡­unnerving¡­to think about dating your investor. But that¡¯s how you feel, right? Unnerved, nervous, about dating your Master.¡± She nodded, swallowing against the desperate hope his words were raising inside her. He took a deep breath. ¡°If knowing that you have power over me in the sugar area is what makes you feel safe enough to be in a rtionship with me at salt and pepper, and submit to me over in hot sauce, then¡­ Then I¡¯m damned d you own my ass professionally.¡± Relief made her light headed. Sheughed softly and closed her eyes. ¡°I was so scared I¡¯d just ruined it. I mean I know I had to tell you, once I guessed who you were, but I thought I¡¯d lost you.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t lose me. This is just the start of us. Or at least the salt and pepper us. Spice us, and sugar us have been together for years, even if we didn¡¯t know about sugar until now.¡± Davina pushed up, thighs bumping the table as she leaned across to kiss him. She felt him smile against her lips. When she took her seat, it was with a sense of peace flowing through her veins, akin to that feeling she got after finally copsing into her favorite chair after a long day. And yet she was also suddenly aware of the feeling of her nipples rubbing against thece of her bra, the seam of her jeans against her crotch. ¡°I do have a few questions,¡± he murmured. His heavy lidded eyes were her first clue that this was not going to be a PG-13 question. ¡°So when we role y with you as the heartless investor, and me as the overworked inventor, begging for just a little more time to make his wonderful new invention work, and you make me get on my knees to beg you, and then you pull up your skirt and make me lick that sweet pussy¡­¡± He grinned. ¡°Is that over here in the spice area, or since you¡¯re the top in that situation, is it more of a salt-and-pepper pretending to be sugar?¡± Davina licked her lower lip. She very much wanted this man on his knees, with his face buried in her pussy. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a right-now-in-the-parking-lot-thing if you keep talking like that. Have I mentioned how sexy it is that you¡¯re a switch?¡± ¡°Hmm, not yet, but good to know. And what about when I want to beta test a cool new smart vibrator I¡¯ve been tinkering with? When I slide it into your pussy and against your clit¡ª¡± He raised his leg, bracing his foot beside her on the bench so she couldn¡¯t get out. ¡°When I flip the switch that will track your heartbeat, ramping up the vibration until you¡¯re right on the edge ofing¡­¡± He used his other foot to force her ankles apart. ¡°And then reading your vitals to know when to back off, keeping you on edge for hours¡­is that a spicy thing? I mean inventing stuff is more of the sugar area, so maybe we should just meet in the middle with salt and pepper¡­¡± Davina leaned out of the booth and caught their waitress¡¯s eye. ¡°Check, please!¡± Grif chuckled. ¡°Role y is spicy,¡± she said, voice husky and breathy at the same time. ¡°That vibrator thing is salt and pepper. Vani people have vibrators, right?¡± ¡°Then I will keep role y with the Tabasco. I¡¯m going to do whatever I need to make you feel safe. Safe and loved.¡± Grif raised her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles. They might not have the answers, and there were more things about their rtionship¡ªor rtionships ¡ªthat could go wrong than right, but when Grif reached across the table and took her hand, it didn¡¯t matter that they might not make it. They were going to try. * * * If you like J is for¡­ check out the bestselling Orchid Club series, starting with San Francisco Longing. With each step he took, James was more and more captivated by the woman. When he stopped in front of her, the toes of his shoes mere inches from her knees, he could hear her sharp inhale. ¡°Are you alone?¡± The question was blunt, but if she was with another Master, he wanted to know now. ¡°I¡¯m just here to watch,¡± came her soft reply. James looked around, weighed his options, then pushed the couch she was kneeling behind out of the way. He grabbed a stool from nearby, ced it beside her, and sat. ¡°Just watch?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m allowed to watch,¡± she said, but it almost sounded like a question. Like she was asking permission. Interesting. ¡°I¡¯d like to watch with you.¡± ¡°With¡­me?¡± ¡°Are you cored?¡± The question took her by surprise, because she looked up, for the first time meeting his gaze. Her face was lovely, if not exactly ssically beautiful. She had eyes the color of melted chocte, and in the dim light they seemed fathomless. She looked at him searchingly, and with such intensity that he sat back, almost startled. ¡°Why?¡± she asked. ¡°Why what?¡± ¡°Why do you want to know if I¡¯m cored?¡± ¡°Ah, you want to y the ing¨¦nue?¡± She shook her head. ¡°No. I¡¯m not Mabel.¡± It took him a moment to recognize her reference. The Pirates of Penzance. She was a fellow opera lover. He¡¯d been thinking she was more of a Julia from The Grand Duke. He considered her. ¡°May I watch with you?¡± Another searching gaze, and then she nced toward the floor, eyes submissively lowered. ¡°I¡¯m not going to, uh, do anything tonight.¡± Her words were hesitant. ¡°If you want to¡­do things¡­you should go and, um, do them.¡± James couldn¡¯t let that pass. He reached out, cupped her chin, and forced her to look up. ¡°I will do what I want, brown eyes. Don¡¯t presume to tell me what to do.¡± Her lips parted, her breath fanned his wrist, and she shivered. That look¡ªat once surprised and nervous and full of desire. Desire roared through him. He would have her. Maybe not tonight, but he would have her. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± He softened his grip but didn¡¯t release her chin. She hesitated, then said, ¡°Ana.¡± She was lying; he could tell from her bodynguage and tone. ¡°Your real name.¡± ¡°Christiana.¡± Nost name, but that wasn¡¯t unexpected. It had been bold of him to ask, but this lovely woman wasn¡¯t ¡°Ana.¡± She was feminine, but not delicate, submissive, yet oddly reticent. It wasn¡¯t umon for members of the society to keep details about themselves private, and some even used pseudonyms. ¡°If you¡¯re not interested in my attention, say so.¡± He released her chin. ¡°You¡¯re under no obligation to me, or to anyone.¡± ¡°You just want to watch¡­with me?¡± ¡°May I ask you a question?¡± ¡°Do you need my permission?¡± His lips quirked in a smile. ¡°I was being polite.¡± She paused, and surprised him when she replied, ¡°I might not answer.¡± ¡°Intriguing. If you wanted me to leave, you¡¯re going about it all wrong. Here is my question. Is this your first gathering?¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. She winced, and James realized in what poor taste that had been. He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. ¡°My sincerest apologies, Christiana.¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious?¡± she asked him. James cursed himself. Normally he was more suave than this. Then again, normally he didn¡¯t care about the oue of a conversation as much as he cared about the oue of this conversation. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you before,¡± he said, making sure to tell the truth, though it was a somewhat round- about answer to the question. ¡°I¡¯m new,¡± she admitted softly. ¡°And just here to¡ª¡± ¡°Watch,¡± he said in tandem with her. She looked up at him, then smiled ruefully. ¡°I guess I said that already.¡± ¡°Once or twice. You¡¯re really here on your own?¡± he asked softly. ¡°No guide or sponsor?¡± Her smile vanished to be reced by a worried expression. ¡°I, um¡­didn¡¯t know I needed to have one. I should go¡­¡± James held up a hand. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I joined that I¡¯ve forgotten how we wee new members. Perhaps you¡¯d allow me to make up for mypse by acting as your guide tonight.¡± She looked at him warily. ¡°And by that I mean I¡¯ll be yourpanion as we watch the debauchery.¡± ¡°Debauchery.¡± She looked around again, then frowned. ¡°How long have you been a member?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll answer that question, if you answer mine. Will you allow me to watch with you?¡± Her gaze searched his face. He tried to read her expression. She was wary, but also excited. He could see that in the way the corners of her mouth moved, as if she were fighting a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t even know your name,¡± she said. ¡°James Nolen,¡± he replied instantly. He had nothing to hide. The NDA members signed would prevent her from spreading any Page Six-style gossip. She looked around once more, then met his gaze. ¡°Yes,¡± she whispered. ¡°I will watch with you.¡± Keep reading San Francisco Longing And make sure to join L¡¯s newsletter for release information, special content, and exclusive contests. K is for¡­ Chapter 40: Epilogue Chapter 40: Epilogue ¡°Can I tell you what my first thought was based on what you just said?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Cain leaned back on his elbows, so he was half reclined, and not looming over her in any way. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. ¡°I thought¡­¡± Theugh was rueful. ¡°My thought was ¡®oh wow, here is the only man who has ever given enough of a shit about me to make a damned n.¡¯¡± He had no idea what to say to that. ¡°You turned a motorcycle into a sex toy, for me. You wanted me enough to risk something for me. I mean, yes, the lies are not eptable, and you will never do it again¡­but you put in effort. You make things happen. You try¡­because you want me.¡± Damn. Men had done this beautiful woman dirty, if her main takeaway was that he had the ability to execute a n. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you a secret.¡± She leaned in, despite the fact that there wasn¡¯t a soul around here. ¡°One of the reasons I like rope bondage, at least with the guys I¡¯ve worked with here, is because it¡¯s a sure thing. The things we¡¯ve done¡­I¡¯d be scared that I would just end up disappointed if I tried those with someone else. So I got into rope bondage. Got¡­inside my own head.¡± She tapped her temple while shooting him a soft smile. ¡°I couldn¡¯t be disappointed that way. I didn¡¯t have to rely on my top except to tie the ropes. I convinced myself all I needed was the feeling of flying, the sense of connection within myself.¡± ¡°Your Doms deserved to know this.¡± ¡°I know they did. I told you I¡¯m not a good submi¡ª¡± ¡°Finish that sentence,¡± he growled. ¡°I dare you.¡± Vic licked her lower lip, taking it between her teeth for a moment. ¡°You might be pissed about all this, when you aren¡¯t post-orgasm agreeable,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°I might.¡± She reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear, a nervous gesture he¡¯d never seen her make before. ¡°We already know my brain is a mess, so it won¡¯t surprise you that being made to fuck a motorcycle led to some epiphanies.¡± ¡°Anything you¡¯d like to share with the ss?¡± He gestured around the empty room. ¡°Among other things, I realized I was starting to develop a crush. On you. I thought it was utterly ridiculous. Having a crush on your Dom is amateur shit.¡± Cain tried not to grin like a loon. ¡°Vic, you better not be fucking with me¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± All the tension and need he¡¯d been suppressing finally broke the worn chains of his self control. Cain grabbed Vic, pulling her down onto his chest as he fell back. Her hair spilled around their faces, creating a veil that obscured the outside world. ¡°Let¡¯s try this, see where it goes.¡± He slid his hands down her back, under the nket so he could feel her soft skin. ¡°As Dom and sub,¡± Vic said firmly. Cain nodded, though in the privacy of his mind he was picturing her in her pjs beside him on the couch eating popcorn andter pregnant with his kid. ¡°And I still expect to negotiate scenes and¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re mine, Vic. No conditions. No negotiating every damn thing. The minute your cares through the gate, you. Are. Mine.¡± She leaned down enough to rest her forehead on his, their noses touching as she said, ¡°And you¡¯re mine.¡± He liked that. He liked that a lot. Cain kissed her, soft and slow, then rolled her onto her side, tucking her hair behind her ear the way she had earlier. She tossed her leg across his then threw the nket over both of them. It didn¡¯t cover most of him, but he¡¯d deal. Cain waited until she was settled and her breathing slow. Then Cain shot his hand out, cupping her pussy, which was no longer quite so damp, but still plenty warm and plump. She yelped as he palmed her, but after only a moment moaned. ¡°I think we¡¯ve done the best parts of L.¡± Cain flicked her clit, and Vic hissed at him, her hand worming under the nket to his cock. ¡°Tomorrow we¡¯re starting at A, and we¡¯ll do the whole checklist.¡± Epilogue Las Palmas, Checklist Game nning Meeting * * * Mikel looked across the table at his friend. They¡¯d just finished deciding the pairing for the letter L, and Leo had been insistent that it be Cain and Victoria. It was an odd pairing, given that she was a rope- bottom, but that was what the game was about. Still, Leo and Gabri had exchanged a few odd looks during their discussion. Gabri was seated beside her Master, her cor rather incongruous with the t-shirt and leggings she wore. Most members of the club would say there were three overseers. Himself, Leo and Faith, but Gabri had an equal legal and financial stake in the club. Given that she was a submissive she preferred that she not be presented as an authority figure, but behind the scenes she had equal say, and happily disagreed with her husband and master. She shifted, wincing a little, and Leo nced at her and smiled. They were, after all, still in the club, and so Gabri had been bent over the table several times throughout the course of this meeting. ¡°M.¡± Faith tapped the marker against therge sheet of poster paper taped to the wall. The room was littered with therge sheets, giving the elegant space the feel of a corporate nning retreat. ¡°There are quite a few items. It¡¯s a heavy letter.¡± Mikel sorted through the paperwork on the table¡ªmember files that had started out in neat stacks. Now only the files of those already assigned were stacked. ¡°One item in particr on this list is going to be very intense,¡± Mikel said after ncing at it. ¡°We¡¯ll need to set aside the appropriate Iron Court room for them.¡± ¡°Not necessarily, if we assign someone adventurous.¡± Leo shrugged. ¡°Then we don¡¯t. That one should be intense.¡± Faith was looking over Mikel¡¯s shoulder. Gabri sat forward with another wince and after a moment grabbed two folders, passing them to Leo. He nced at the names, raised his brows, and then passed them over. Mikel would never have considered this, but he cross-referenced their checklists while Faith looked over his shoulder. The two had enough of the items inmon¡ªamong other things¡ªto make it a viable pairing. Mikel sat back, flipping the files closed. ¡°Gabri, lovely creature you may be, but also a sadist of the first order.¡± Faith went to the wall and wrote down two names beside the letter M. They all took a moment to stare at the words, and Mikel felt a very brief moment of pity for the pair. Don¡¯t miss M is for¡­ing March 2021. * * * The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!